Chicken thighs with onions, browned in butter and simmered in dark ale and chicken broth for a rich, hearty stew. chicken carbonated.
Hard to believe we were still having 100 highs here in Sacramento a week ago. Now it’s finally starting to feel like fall, and although I still wear shorts around the house (let’s call it denial), the flip-flops are gone and warm wool socks have taken their place.
It’s time for stews and slow stews like this one, rich, hearty and warming. This Beer Braised Chicken is a twist on a classic Belgian carbonnade, a slow stew with sweet, malty dark ale, mustard and onion-basted chicken thighs.
For those of you who avoid alcohol, you may find a non-alcoholic beer suitable for this recipe, perhaps Guinness Caliber or Erdinger Weissbier.
Chicken and onions stewed in beer
Which beer you use is important. Dark beers tend to be fuller and malty and sweeter. They will work well in this stew. Hoppy beers like IPA or Pale Ale are too bitter for this stew and should be avoided.
For this recipe we used Moylan’s Kilt Lifter, a Scottish ale, and also Ommegang Abbey Ale. A soft Belgian beer like Flanders Red or one of the Chimay beers would also be ideal.
ingredients
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1 tablespoon unsalted butter
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6 chicken thighsabove 2 to 2 1/2 lb
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Salt
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3 lb yellow onionssliced 1/4-inch thick, root to stem, about 6 to 8 cups sliced
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1 tablespoon Brown sugarpacked up
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2 bay leaves
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2 teaspoon dried thyme
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2 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
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1 1/2 cups Dark beer
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1 Cup chicken broth
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Fresh ground black pepper
method
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Sear the chicken thighs on all sides:
Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan with a lid, e.g. B. a Dutch oven, melt over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and place skin-side down in the butter. Lightly salt the meat side.
Sear the chicken well on both sides. Remove the browned drumsticks from the pan and set aside in a bowl.
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Pour off some fat:
The chicken skin has probably shed quite a bit of fat. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan, being careful not to discard any of the delicious browned bits. (Note, don’t throw the grease down the drain, it could clog your lines. Pour it into a jar.)
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Cooking onions:
Reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped onions to the pan. If you like, sprinkle brown sugar over the onions. This is optional. The added sugar intensifies the natural sweetness of the onions.
Slowly cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 15 minutes.
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Add herb mustard, salt, beer, broth, chicken, bring to a simmer:
Add the bay leaves, thyme, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt and beer to the onions. Using a wooden spoon, scrape off any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken thighs and chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
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Cook until the chicken is tender and falls off the bone:
Cook, covered, for 45 minutes, then uncover the pot and simmer until the liquid is greatly reduced and the meat is ready to fall off the bone, between 45 minutes and 1 hour.
If you’re using unsalted or low-sodium broth, you’ll likely need to add more salt. Add freshly ground black pepper and more salt to taste.
Serve over egg noodles or with rice or potatoes.
Links:
Belgian Chicken Soup – by Savor Fare
Colombian Chicken Stew with Beer – from my Colombian recipes
Beer Braised Chicken Enchiladas with Chile by Use Real Butter
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 375 | calories |
| 18g | Fat |
| 21g | carbohydrates |
| 30g | protein |
