Cooking with beer adds terrific flavor to any meal, and it makes this the best spatchcocked chicken marinade, whether roasted or grilled.

Why you have to try this recipe
I admit that I am not a beer drinker, nor a big wine drinker. My hubby is both. But, I love to cook with both. The alcohol is burned off in the cooking process and you are left with a dish that is very flavorful and safe for the kids to eat!
Now I may not like drinking beer but I do love cooking with it! I love cooking with beer because of the unique flavor it brings to my meal. And this black ale really was a wonderful flavor enhancer for my chicken.
The Black Ale Marinated Spatchcocked Chicken was amazing. There was no overt beer after taste, but it was super juicy and delicious. And my kitchen had this amazing sweet aroma while the chicken quietly roasted in the oven. Super Easy. Super Delicious.
And the color… wowza!
Ingredients you need
- Whole roasting chicken: This marinade works with small fryer chickens to larger roasting chickens.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Coarse ground mustard
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Beer: I used a New Belgium Brewing Company’s 1554 Black Ale
- Seasonings: Paprika, salt, black pepper,
Step-by-step directions
1. Place the chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board. Using poultry shears or a large, sharp knife, cut along each side of the backbone. Pull the chicken open slightly to cut the backbone out completely. Reserve for stock or discard. Turn the chicken breast side up and open it as flat as possible. Press down firmly to break the breastbone and flatten the bird.
2. In a large container that can hold the butterflied chicken whisk together onion, garlic cloves, mustard, olive oil, black ale, paprika, salt and pepper. Place butterflied chicken in to the marinade and coat both sides.
3. Cover and refrigerate 5-6 hours, flipping chicken over to marinate evenly. Remove chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to roasting.
4. Roast at 425ºF for 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh away from the bone registers 170º-175ºF. If chicken starts to burn, loosely cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.
Recipe tips and FAQs
You can either roast this butterflied chicken in the oven or grill it outdoors. Either way, this marinade is the BOMB and really delicious!
To spatchcock a chicken means to cut the backbone out and then press the chicken flat, breaking the breastbone. It basically means to butterfly and whole chicken. This cuts the cooking time in half and gives you a lot of crispy skin, when roasted.
Not only does beer add flavor to the food you are marinating, but it also makes a great tenderizer. It contains enzymes that helps to break down the tough fibers leaving you a very moist and tender meal.
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The Best Spatchcocked Chicken Marinade
Cooking with beer adds terrific flavor to any meal, and it makes this the best spatchcocked chicken marinade, whether roasted or grilled.
Ingredients
- 1 large whole roasting chicken, approx. 5lbs
- 1 large onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- ⅓ cup coarse ground mustard
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cup dark or black ale
- 1 TBS paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, ground
Instructions
- Remove giblet and neck from the chicken cavity, reserve for another use or discard.
- Place the chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board.
- Using poultry shears or a large, sharp knife, cut along each side of the backbone. Pull the chicken open slightly to cut the backbone out completely. Reserve for stock or discard.
- Turn the chicken breast side up and open it as flat as possible.
- Press down firmly to break the breastbone and flatten the bird.
- Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels.
- In a large container that can hold the butterflied chicken whisk together onion, garlic cloves, mustard, olive oil, black ale, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Place butterflied chicken in to the marinade and coat both sides.
- Cover and refrigerate 5-6 hours, flipping chicken over to marinate evenly.
Remove chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to roasting. - Preheat oven to 425ºF and place chicken in a large cast-iron skillet, breast side up.
- Roast chicken for 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh away from the bone registers 170º-175ºF.
If chicken starts to burn, loosely cover with a sheet of aluminum foil. - Remove from oven and let chicken sit for 5-7 minutes, then serve.
Notes
Cooking Tips: Also great on the grill! Grill the chicken bone side down over medium-high direct heat in a covered grill for ten minutes. Flip the chicken over and grill the chicken over direct heat for an additional ten minutes Be careful so that it doesn't burn. Reduce heat slightly, if necesary. With a meat thermometer, check the temperature of the breast. If it hasn't reached 165ºF, move the chicken to grill over indirect heat, skin side up, until it's done. Remove the chicken and let it rest, covered loosely with foil, for ten minutes prior to serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1079Total Fat: 63gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 41gCholesterol: 333mgSodium: 705mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 106g
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
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Ok, I am totally missing the boat on the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program! Your spatchcocked chicken looks fabulous and because I love cooking with my cast iron skillet, so was immediately drawn to the photo 🙂
Thanks, everyone. I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know how it turns out!
I love cooking with beer and this recipe looks so good! Great photos. So glad to have found you through YBR.