Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon mild chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 12-ounce can cola
- 3-1/2-to-4 pound chicken
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Cola Barbecue Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup cola (reserved from Cola-Can Chicken) 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons steak sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed Coarse kosher or sea salt
Directions
- RubMake the rub by combining the chili powder, salt, brown sugar, black pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl and stirring to mix. Set aside.
- Pop the tab off the soda can. Pour half of the cola (3/4 cup) into a measuring cup and set aside for the sauce. If cooking the chicken on the can, use a key-style can opener to make 2 additional holes in the can’s top.
- Prepare as you would Basic Beer-Can Chicken.
- Present the bird to your guests. Let the chicken rest for 3 to 5 minutes, then carefully lift it off the support. Take care not to spill the hot cola or otherwise burn yourself. Carve the chicken and serve with Cola Barbecue Sauce.Sauce In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cola, raise the heat to high, and bring the sauce to a boil.
- Add the ketchup, lemon zest and juice, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, liquid smoke, and pepper and bring back to
- a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and gently simmer the sauce until thick and richly flavored, about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and more pepper if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature. The sauce can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 week.
Beer can chicken may be more popular, but cola can chicken makes a great substitute. Learn how to make a delicious cola can chicken with cola barbeque sauce.
Highbrow chefs operate under a major disadvantage: Coca-Cola – or any other cola, for that matter – is seldom an ingredient in restaurant kitchens. As any pit boss worth their salt knows, the complex interplay of sweet, tart, spicy, and aromatic flavors in colas makes them a valuable addition to marinades, bastes, and barbecue sauces. This truth is appreciated elsewhere in the Americas – in Venezuela, for example, where pot roast braised in Coke is a treasured dish. I’ve taken the idea one step further by barbecuing a chicken on a cola can. Coke and Pepsi are the two most obvious candidates for this recipe, but don’t hesitate to try a different cola. This is a great way to make “beer”-can chicken for people who don’t drink alcohol. Serve it up with buttery Texas toast and your favorite cooked greens. Yield: 2 to 4 servings.
Cola Barbeque Sauce
1-1/2 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably hickory), soaked for 30 minutes in water to cover and then drained.
What better way to spice up a barbecue sauce than with one of the most popular soft drinks in the United States? Obviously, cola barbecue sauce goes great with chicken, but you can also serve it with pork, brisket, ribs, and even salmon. Yield: about 1-1/2 cups.
