Recipe: How to make Steven Raichlen’s Cola-Can Chicken

If you can cook chicken with beer, why not with soda? Take Venezuela, where pot roast braised in Coke is a treasured dish, says grilling expert Steven Raichlen, author of the new “Beer-Can Chicken: Foolproof Recipes for the Crispiest, Crackliest, Smokiest, Most Succulent Birds You’ve Ever Tasted (Revised).”

Even though it’s not seen in many restaurant kitchens, Coke, Pepsi and other colas have flavors that add “complex interplay of sweet, tart, spicy and aromatic flavors” that are a welcome addition to many marinades...