Beer braised chicken thighs. Crisp-skinned on the outside and tender underneath, simmered together with sautéed mushrooms in a rich, brown beer sauce that will have everyone coming back for more. Super delicious and very easy to make. Plus, it’s made in one skillet. Serve with a lettuce salad and lots of crusty bread to mop up all of that tasty sauce.
Why You’ll Love this Beer Braised Chicken Recipe
- Braised chicken is absolute comfort food. Once you’ve tried this brown beer braised thighs, you won’t hesitate to make it for company.
- It’s made in one skillet using simple ingredients.
- The chicken is tender and juicy with a super crispy skin!
- To save time you can make it ahead.
- You can serve it with your favorite sides.
How To Make Beer Braised Chicken Thighs
We sear the meat skin side down in a cast iron or a heavy bottomed skillet to render out the fat and create a super crispy skin.
The savory sauce is made with garlic, shallots, lots of fresh thyme, mushrooms and brown ale. We also add soy sauce to enhance the flavors and tomato paste, which helps give it a deep, rich color.
Once the sauce is done, we return the chicken to the skillet, slide everything into the oven and let the whole thing braise until the sauce is thickened and reduced, the flavors have developed, and the chicken is tender, juicy and cooked through. In the meantime you can prepare your sides.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO.
What to serve with beer braised chicken?
- Crusty bread
- Mashed potatoes
- Baked potatoes
- Potato wedges
- Lettuce salad drizzled with a honey-lemon dressing
- Cucumber salad
- steamed green beans, steamed broccoli, or sautéed spinach
Helpful Tips
- Use boneless/skinless thighs for a faster, weeknight-friendly dinner without using the oven.
- Brown ale is a dark-colored, medium-to-low-bodied brew that is typically more malt than hops, giving it a sweeter flavor.
- If you don’t like to cook with beer, use beef broth with 1 teaspoon maple syrup.
Storage
- Make ahead: You can make these beer braised chicken 1 day ahead of time, just follow until step 9, but don’t bake it yet. Cool down completely, cover and refrigerate. When ready to eat, slide the chicken into the oven and bake as written.
- Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge.
- To freeze: Cool completely, then freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
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Beer Braised Chicken
Tender, crisp-skinned chicken simmered with sautéed mushrooms in a rich brown beer sauce—a one-pot dish that's both super delicious and easy. Enjoy with a lettuce salad and crusty bread to savor every drop of the flavorful sauce.
Ingredients
Chicken Thighs
- 8 chicken thighs - bone-in/skin-on
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground coriander
Brown Beer Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 9 ounces cremini mushrooms - sliced
- 2 shallots - finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp thyme leaves - minced
- 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp double-concentrated tomato paste
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 ½ cup brown ale
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
For Serving
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- crushed red pepper flakes
- thyme sprigs
Instructions
- Start with preparing the chicken thighs: In a small bowl, add salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, garlic powder, turmeric and coriander. Stir to combine. Rub seasoning on both sides of the chicken.
- Chop the thyme leaves, mince the garlic, finely chop the shallots and thinly slice the mushrooms.
- Preheat the oven to 220 °C/425 °F.
- Heat a cast-iron or a heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. Add oil and butter. Place chicken thighs skin side down, cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, cook for 10 minutes, move chicken around every couple minutes. Turn, cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from skillet onto a clean plate.
- Remove excess grease, leaving 1 tbsp in the skillet. Set aside.
- Add mushrooms to the skillet. Cook for 4-5 minutes until they start to release moisture, stir occasionally. Add 1 tablespoon chicken grease and cook until mushrooms are golden brown. Add garlic and shallot, cook for 2 minutes. Stir in salt, black pepper, thyme leaves and soy sauce.
- Add flour, stir until fully incorporated. Deglaze with chicken broth, simmer for 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon while scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Stir in tomato paste.
- Pour in brown beer, bring to a boil. Add brown sugar and lemon juice. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Return chicken skin-side-up to the skillet, nestling it into the sauce. Top with thyme sprigs. Transfer to the oven and bake uncovered until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 160 °C/320 °F. Bake for 10 minutes more.
- When ready, finish off with freshly ground black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 610kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 40gFat: 44gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 230mgSodium: 1521mgPotassium: 878mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 600IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 3mg
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