Preheat your oven to 425°F and position the oven rack in the lower third of the oven.

Remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken and clean the inside well. Pat the entire chicken completely dry with paper towels. This helps the skin become beautifully golden and crispy while roasting.

Rub the butter mixture all over the chicken, making sure to coat every inch—including the front, back, wings, legs, and inside the cavity. Don’t be shy! Get into every little nook and cranny.

Open a 12-ounce can of beer.

Use a regular-sized can only. Don’t grab a tall can or oversized beer. The standard 12-ounce can is exactly what you want for this recipe.

Pour about ¼ of the beer into the bottom of a large cast-iron skillet.

Leave the remaining beer inside the can, then tuck 1–2 sprigs of fresh rosemary and 1–2 sprigs of fresh thyme into the can.

Now place the can under the faucet and fill it the rest of the way with water.

This is the trick!

By filling the beer can with water, it becomes much heavier and easily supports the weight of the chicken. You don’t need to buy a special beer can chicken holder—this simple trick works perfectly every time.

Place the beer can in the center of the cast-iron skillet.

Scatter a few additional sprigs of rosemary and thyme around the skillet.

Gently lower the chicken over the beer can so it stands upright. If needed, gently open the cavity just enough for it to slide securely over the can.

Carefully transfer the cast-iron skillet to the oven.

Close the oven door gently and leave the chicken completely undisturbed for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F and the thigh reaches 175–180°F.

Resist the urge to keep opening the oven. Let the chicken roast without disturbing it so it cooks evenly and stays incredibly juicy.

Remove the skillet from the oven and place it on a heat-safe surface.

Leave the chicken sitting upright on the beer can for 20–25 minutes.

This resting time allows all of those incredible juices to settle back into the meat.

Have someone hold the beer can steady with a pair of tongs while you carefully lift the chicken straight up off the can.

Discard the beer can carefully.

Now take a look at the bottom of your skillet…

Those buttery pan juices are absolute liquid gold.

You can leave them exactly as they are (my favorite way!) or, if you’d like a thicker gravy, whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water, stir it into the pan juices, and simmer on the stovetop until thickened.