Singha is one of Thailand’s most popular lagers and a fan favorite at our restaurants.It is light, crisp, refreshing, and works perfectly for our Thai-inspired beer can chicken!This recipe allows the chicken to be smoked to moist perfection with all the smoky-sweet complexity you crave. Once it is finished smoking, you can either carve the whole chicken to enjoy immediately or pull and chop the chicken for other uses. We love saving some for bangin’ sandwiches or shredding the chicken for a quick and easy chicken fried rice!
recipe 
yields
Serves 4
1 (4 to 5 pound [1.8 to 2.3 kg]) whole
chicken
For the marinade:
1/4 cup (56 g) coconut milk
2 tablespoons (30 ml) fish sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) lime juice
1 tablespoon (8 g) grated fresh
ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk lemongrass, finely minced
1 Thai chili, finely minced
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil
1 can (12 ounces) Thai Singha beer
(sub any light lager beer)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice
1 stalk lemongrass, cut in half
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1-inch (2.5 cm) piece ginger, sliced
2 tablespoons (36 g) kosher salt
1 tablespoon (6 g) white pepper
1 tablespoon (12 g) palm sugar or
brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon (9 g) garlic powder
1 tablespoon (7 g) onion powder
1 teaspoon lemongrass powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon Thai red pepper flakes
ingredients
for the spice rub
steps
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Make the marinade: Mix marinade ingredients in a large bowl and add the chicken. Rub the marinade all over the chicken, including under the skin. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours, or preferably overnight.
- Open the beer can and pour out (or drink!) about one-half of the beer. Add lime juice, lemongrass, garlic, and ginger to the can.
- Make the Thai spice rub: Add all of the spice rub ingredients to a small mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Preheat your smoker to 275°F (135°C). Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry. Coat the chicken evenly with the Thai spice rub. Place the beer can upright in a roasting pan. Carefully lower the chicken onto the beer can so it stands upright. Place the chicken in the smoker, beer can upright, and close the lid. Smoke for 21/2 to 3 hours, or until the internal temperature reads 165°F (74°C) in the breast and 175°F (79°C) in the thigh.
- Carefully remove the chicken from the smoker and let it rest for 15 minutes. Remove the beer can and carve the chicken.
Date Published: 06.01.26
share
-
Recipe by
Excerpted from Asian Smoke: Thai and Southeast Asian Barbecue from the Curry Boys, published by Harvard Common Press, an imprint of The Quarto Group (2026).
