Beer-Brined Chicken with Giblet Gravy

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I have not made this recipe in a number of years and first seen it on the Original Emeril Live show. It is one of the best tasting chicken recipes I have ever made. My version at that time was made on the RONCO set it and forget it rotisserie. That has long since be retired. A number a notes is you can use cheep domestic beer and still get a good taste. IMO most of the taste comes from the apple cider and the cinnamon. I would not use Coors Light ,Bud Light Type of beer because they are almost not
beer they are like carbonated water with yellow dye and something that's not of beer.
A lot of work goes into the gravy but its worth it and has a taste you will never forget.
GOOD FOOD !

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My family loves this recipe. I've made variations of it for Thanksgiving for the past four years. We have a small family, so a couple chickens or a small turkey works great. This year I'm trying it with cornish game hens. I am generous with the rub and may make it spicier than some people like, but it fits my family.

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Use a Porter to brine the chicken rather than a light beer. I've done it both ways. It tastes better with the porter-specifically Sierra Nevada Porter if you can get it.

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This chicken was moist thanks to the brine, but way too sweet, thanks to the brine. It was a tragic waste of 5+ perfectly good bottles of Sierra Nevada Porter. And I couldn't eat the gravy because I just couldn't get past the thought that it was cloudy from the pureed giblets...yuck! Good thing I made lots of garlic bread with this meal.

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I agree with all the reviews below that this recipe produces a very tender, juicy chicken. For penny pinchers, you can use ground pepper, instead of peppercorns, and ground cinnamon instead of a stick. Since the flavor is so subtle, it won't make much of a difference if you use high quality herbs, or cheaper substitutes. I didn't use juniper berries because I couldn't find them, but it was still good. I also really liked the flavor of the vegetables.

The gravy, on the other hand, was a lot of work, and was only so-so. For a much easier gravy: collect the pan drippings, add a cup of chicken stock, 1/4 cup white wine or sherry, and bring to a simmer. Then slowly add a thickener, such as a roux, or as I prefer, about 1 Tbsp of cornstarch diluted in 1/4 cup of water. (You can add more cornstarch, if you like thicker gravies. The immersion blender business in the recipe is just needlessly complicted.

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My family and I were looking for a good Chicken recipe that packed a lot of flavor and moistness. This is the one! I couldn't find juniper berries, so I left it out of the brine. It still resulted in a wonderfully flavorful bird! It was so tender and juicy that my daughter couldn't believe it--she said "this is the first recipe you've tried that kept every part of the chicken juicy!" (My family will usually avoid the breast section, knowing all too well how dry it can be. Not this time! The whole chicken was gone--no leftovers!! Thank you Emeril!

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This is a great tasting dish.
Very much worth finding all the items and then putting it all together.
Yummy!

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I have never had juicier or more flavorful chicken in my life. My family had 4 people and we had a chicken large enough to feed 6 and not a single piece of meat was left. We just loved it too much.

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We were all very impressed with this excellent chicken...really very easy even with all the ingredients (I didnt do the gravy...just made a pan gravy with the drippings, not big giblet fans around here.
This made a cheap fryer into a delightful Sunday dinner. Thank you!

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We follow the brining recipe and then cook it on the grill. It is outstanding