A man has been caught trying to smuggle cannabis onto Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory inside a frozen chicken.

Alyangula Police say they found 130 grams of cannabis inside the chicken during a random search at Groote Eylandt Airport just after 9:00pm (ACST) yesterday.

Police say the man was carrying a box of frozen meat and they cut open the chicken after noticing its plastic wrapping was slightly ripped.

Police say the cannabis has a street value of about $13,000 on Groote Eylandt.

The 23-year-old was arrested and will face a host of charges, including drug trafficking.