Today Show: Sunny Anderson
You’ve heard of Beer Can Chicken, but you probably don’t know Root Beer Chicken. Sunny Anderson shared this idea on Today Show as part of a tailgating menu that also included Chili Pie in a Bag and Nacho Cheese Hot Dogs.
Today Show: Sunny Anderson Glazed BBQ Root Beer Chicken Recipe Ingredients

Sunny Anderson got inventive with her tailgating menu on Today Show, sharing a Glazed BBQ Root Beer Chicken Recipe that puts a twist on Beer Can Chicken. (Hurst Photo / Shutterstock.com)
“That’s a root beer can inside of a chicken and then a root beer barbecue glaze,” Sunny Anderson said. “I think I can make a barbecue sauce out of anything.”
Rub Ingredients
- 4 tbsp soft Unsalted Butter
- Zest of 2 Limes
- 2 Whole Chickens (remove gizzards and necks)
- 1 tbsp stripped, chopped Thyme
- Salt & Pepper
Glaze Ingredients
- 2 cups Root Beer
- 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 cloves grated Garlic
- 1 pierced Ghost Pepper (or use Habanero Pepper)
- 2/3 cup Ketchup
- 2” fresh Ginger (cut in 1/4” discs)
- 2 tbsp Lime Juice
Sunny Anderson: Today Show Root Beer Chicken Recipe Directions
- Combine rub ingredients. Loosen the chicken skin and rub the buttery mixture underneath it.
- Combine root beer with sugar, garlic, ketchup, ginger, and lime juice in a pot on medium high.
- Whisk until it starts to boil. Ketchup and sugar should dissolve.
- Reduce to simmer. Once it starts to thicken, turn off the heat and add the Ghost Pepper.
- Let ginger and pepper steep for about 10 minutes before removing them. Stir the finished sauce.
- Turn the burner on under one side of your grill. Keep the lid closed during preheating.
- Place root beer cans on the opposite side, over indirect heat.
- Place the cavity opening of the chicken over the root beer can. It should be able to stand up on its own. Repeat this with the second chicken and can.
- Close the lid and grill about 25 minutes. Open the lid to rotate chickens before closing and cooking another 25 minutes, or to an internal temperature of 155-160 F.
- Glaze chickens during the final five or 10 minutes of cooking; reserve some glaze for serving.
- Remove chickens from grill and cover with aluminum foil. Let rest about 15 minutes.
- Carve and serve chicken. Optionally, serve shredded chicken tossed in leftover glaze.
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