7-Up Can Lemon Roasted Chicken

It's the stuff legends are made of...

Known by many as Beer Can Chicken, known by many more as Beer Butt Chicken.  But as they say, a Rose by any other name...

There are two reasons to cook a chicken with a can of liquid in it's cavity.  First, the steam from the liquid makes for the most moist, most tender chicken you can imagine.  Lately several grilling specialty blogs have done side by side taste tests using different liquids.  From water to Guinness Stout and about anything in between, the consensus appears to be that the liquid does not matter.  Blind taste tests, it's all pretty much the same.

It's just fun (in a 7th grade way) to say Beer Butt Chicken.  Not nearly enough fun to say 7-Up Butt Chicken, but that's what I used.

Which brings up the other reason this cooking method makes the best chicken...  Presentation!

But, I'm gonna show you how to take that presentation up a notch.  And even justify the semi-lewd look...

It's easy to get the look...

Just slice a lemon in half.  Actually for authenticity, slice at a little angle so the ends of the lemon are pointed straight and look... Perky (sorry).

Then slip the lemon between the skin and the meat of the breast....

And you get that special look.

BUT, this is more than just cosmetic.

As the chicken cooks, the lemon OOZES hot lemon juice into the breast meat.  Infusing that citrus taste deep into the meat.

And it works!

Really rich deep lemony taste.  Unlike anything you have ever tried.  As good as it gets.

And, just in case you are serving this to actual 7th graders and prefer not to have them giggle throughout dinner...

If you slice off thick slices of the lemon (no tips), this method works just as well.

But not as much fun.