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.
Braised chicken is absolute comfort food. Once you’ve tried this brown beer braised thighs, you won’t hesitate to make it for company. 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
- baked potatoes
- potato wedges
- lettuce salad drizzled with a honey-lemon dressing
- cucumber salad
- steamed green beans, steamed broccoli, or sautéed spinach
RECIPE NOTES
- 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
Try These Next
- Creamy Parmesan Polenta with Beer Sautéed Mushrooms
- Ricotta Polenta with Drunken Meatballs
- Creamy Drunken Chicken with Mushrooms
Cooking Video
Calories Per Serving: 238 kcalBeer Braised Chicken
Ingredients
chicken thighs
sauce
for serving
Instructions
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
I made this last night, it was delicious. I will definitely be putting this in my rotation!
Fantastic, that’s really nice to hear! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for giving it a try!
Would this work with a pale ale like yeungling?
hi, you can use Yuengling Black & Tan. Enjoy the recipe!
This was sooo good!! My kids loved it too! I cannot wait to try more of these recipes. This blog is so well done.
Fantastic! Love hearing that, Rhi. So glad this recipe is a hit, thanks for making it!
My sister made this recipe tonight and it was wonderful! We used Full Sail Amber Ale because that’s what our local grocery store beer expert suggested in place of a brown (which they didn’t carry). Success!
Yay! Love hearing that, Leah. So glad this recipe was a hit, thanks for the comment!
The wife’s not the biggest fan of mushrooms. Any substitutes that you would suggest, such as carrots?
Hi Travis, you can use carrots, leeks or zucchini. Enjoy the recipe!