Beer Braised Chicken

by Anna Chwistek

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. 

beer braised chicken

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.

beer braised chicken

What to serve with beer braised chicken?

beer braised chicken

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

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beer braised chicken

Cooking Video

Beer Braised Chicken

Yield: serves 4

Beer Braised Chicken

beer braised chicken
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

chicken thighs

  • 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 tsp each: salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, garlic powder
  • ¼ each: ground turmeric, ground coriander

sauce

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp salted butter
  • 250 g/9 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp each: salt, black pepper
  • 1 tbsp minced thyme leaves
  • 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 tbsp double-concentrated tomato paste
  • 120 ml/½ cup chicken broth
  • 330 ml/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

  1. 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.
  2. Chop the thyme leaves, mince the garlic, finely chop the shallots and thinly slice the mushrooms.
  3. Preheat the oven to 220 °C/425 °F.
  4. 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.
  5. Remove excess grease, leaving 1 tbsp in the skillet. Set aside.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Pour in brown beer, bring to a boil. Add brown sugar and lemon juice. Simmer for 5 minutes.
  9. 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.
  10. When ready, finish off with freshly ground black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Notes

Calories Per Serving: 238 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know! Leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram and don’t forget to tag me with @anna_s_table or #servingdumplings I’d love to see what you’re making. Happy cooking!

© Anna Chwistek
Category: One Pot
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10 comments

  • I made this last night, it was delicious. I will definitely be putting this in my rotation!

    Reply

  • This was sooo good!! My kids loved it too! I cannot wait to try more of these recipes. This blog is so well done.

    Reply

  • 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!

    Reply

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