Guinness Grilled Chicken is a delicious meal any time. While it is perfect for barbecuing during the summer, you can also grill this inside with a grill pan in the oven. The beer marinade tenderises and flavours your chicken, so every bite is juicy and delicious.
Serve with your favourite side dishes and a cold beer, or you can eat it as a snack or part of a lunch wrap or salad. Another great recipe, that you can easily make is this delicious Irish corned beef, which you can serve as a main dish or use to make Reuben sandwiches.
Bring some Irish flavours into your next BBQ by using Guinness beer in your marinade. This simple, yet flavourful grilled chicken breast recipe is sure to be a crowd-pleaser any time of the year!
Ingredients For Guinness Grilled Chicken
Take a look at this list of ingredients for our Guinness chicken recipe before changing or omitting anything. Then, you can scroll down to the recipe card for instructions and measurements.
- Chicken breasts: skinless
Marinade Ingredients:
- Guinness Beer: Warmed to room temperature.
- Minced garlic: Use as much or as little as you like.
- Soy sauce: This is optional.
- Lime juice: The acids in the lime break down the muscles to make the chicken tender.
- Honey: For a little sweetness and to help it all stick.
- Onion powder: Just a bit.
- Smoked paprika: Or regular paprika.
- Parsley: Roughly chopped.
- Fresh rosemary: Roughly chopped.
- Black pepper
- Kosher salt
Read the full Guinness beer marinade recipe and extra tips and variations.
How To Make Guinness Chicken From Scratch
- Marinate your chicken: First, prepare the marinade ingredients in a small bowl, add chicken pieces, and let it marinate for up to eight hours. Turn it every once in a while, so it is evenly coated.
- Grill on medium: When your chicken is ready, preheat the grill and rub olive oil on the grates. Grill chicken on medium heat away from direct contact with the hot coals for five minutes. Flip and cook for another five minutes or until it is golden brown.
- Rest and serve: Last, let your chicken rest for 10 minutes. Then, serve with your favourite side dish and a cold beer.
Recipe Tips
Make sure to read these recipe tips before you get started so you can make sure you have the perfect juicy and delicious beer marinated chicken:
- Chicken is fully cooked when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165 degrees F.
- You could also cook your chicken in the oven in a roasting pan for 15 to 20 minutes. That way, they soak in their juices instead of letting the juice fall into the fire.
- Keep your chicken from getting too dark by cooking it at medium heat and not directly over the hot coals.
- If you are worried about the alcohol content of the Guinness, use alcohol-free Guinness beer instead.
- While the chicken marinates, turn it over occasionally so it all gets the same amount of juice.
- Instead of honey, you can use sugar, simple syrup, or maple syrup.
Looking for other great chicken recipes? We have more delicious chicken recipes for you to try!
Recipe Variations
- Extra flavour: To boost the flavour even more, boil the marinade in a small saucepan for two minutes before using it. Just make sure it is completely cool first.
- Other cuts: Instead of chicken breasts, you can use chicken thighs, legs, or wings.
- Whole chicken: Instead of using chicken pieces, try this with a whole chicken. Just rub the marinade all over the chicken, inside and out. Then, put a can of Guinness Beer inside the cavity and cook it standing up on the grill for 45 to 60 minutes.
- More herbs: For an extra yummy taste, add your other favourite herbs and spices like fresh thyme, chopped basil, cilantro, onion powder, garlic powder, and oregano.
- Make it spicy: Add red pepper flakes to your marinade for some spiciness.
- Add a glaze: You can also pour half of another beer onto the skin side of your chicken before letting it rest for a tasty glaze.
How To Store Leftovers
If you have leftover Guinness chicken, here are some tips for storing and reheating your leftovers:
- Store: You can store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for three days.
- Freeze: To freeze your grilled chicken for up to three months, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it into a freezer bag.
- Thaw: Let your frozen leftovers thaw out in the fridge overnight before serving.
- Reheat: To reheat, put the chicken in a microwave-safe dish and heat in the microwave for one minute.Â
For another delicious Guinness recipe, check out my leftover brisket pies with Guinness.
You might also like these chicken recipes:
Frequently Asked Questions
Why grill with beer?
Guinness Beer tastes rich with a coffee flavour and mild sweetness. It also tenderises meat by breaking down tough fibres in the chicken and makes it extra moist and juicy. Other kinds of beer can add different tastes like adding a delicate fruitiness with cream or blonde ale, a malt flavour with lager, or a crisp flavour with pilsner. Try a specialty beer like herb, honey, or smoked beer for something different.
Should I close the lid while cooking?
It is best to make your Guinness Beer grilled chicken with the lid closed to let it grill evenly. This keeps the temperature steady to make sure they are done all the way through. However, you will need to keep an eye on it because chicken pieces cooked on the grill can overcook and dry out quickly.
Why is my chicken dry?
It could be that you cooked it too long. You need to keep an eye on it, so it does not overcook, especially if you are using skinless and boneless chicken. Try taking it off when the internal temp is 70 degrees Celcius (160F). It will continue to cook while it rests so it will be 75 Celcius (165F) when you serve it.
Guinness Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless and skinless
Marinade
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 10 oz bottle of Guinness beer (285ml)
Instructions
- In a large bowl or Ziplock bag combine the marinade ingredients.
- Add chicken breasts and marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours, rotating the chicken if possible. Make sure to keep it in the refrigerator.
- Preheat and oil the grill. Grill the chicken on both sides for 5-7 minutes or until golden.
- Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
- Chicken is fully cooked when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 75 degrees Celcius (165 degrees F).
- Chicken can also be cooked in the oven in a roasting pan for 15 to 20 minutes, by allowing the chicken breasts to soak in the juices instead of letting the juice fall into the fire.
- Keep your chicken from getting too dark by cooking it at medium heat and not directly over the hot coals.
- If you are worried about the alcohol content of the Guinness beer, use alcohol-free Guinness instead.
- While the chicken marinates, turn it occasionally for an even flavour.
- Instead of honey, you can substitute for sugar, simple syrup, or maple syrup.
