Beer chicken is a rustic, comforting main course, perfect for those who enjoy intense but balanced flavors. The meat, slowly cooked in beer, becomes very tender and absorbs a deep, slightly bitter taste with caramelized notes that marry beautifully with aromatic herbs and the soffritto.
This is a simple recipe accessible to everyone, yet with a surprising result: the sauce formed during cooking is so flavorful it deserves bread for dipping! You can prepare it with thighs, drumsticks, or breast, and it suits both informal dinners and Sunday lunches.
Served with sides like roast potatoes, polenta, or grilled vegetables, beer chicken is a dish that evokes home, conviviality, and hearty appetites.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs chicken
- 2 cups light beer
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 5 berries juniper berries
- Half onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (level)
- to taste salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste flour
Tools
- 1 Pan
- 1 Baking dish
- 1 Espresso cup
Steps
To prepare beer chicken the first thing to do is clean and cut the chicken. After cleaning, washing and singeing it to remove any remaining feathers, cut it into eight pieces and set aside.
In the meantime, cut the vegetables into cubes or thin slices and lightly brown them in the already-hot butter and oil together with the rosemary and juniper berries.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then dredge it in flour, shake off the excess flour, and add it to the pan with the vegetables.
Brown well on all sides and when it reaches a nice golden color, deglaze with the beer.
Season with salt, cover the pan and cook for about ten minutes. Add the spices as well — the sweet paprika and the cinnamon dissolved in half an espresso cup (about 1 tbsp) of warm water — then continue cooking the beer chicken uncovered.
Continue cooking over low heat for at least 40-60 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces. If necessary, add more beer or water.You should obtain a sauce thick enough to coat the meat.
Transfer the beer chicken to a serving dish, garnishing, if you like, with sprigs of rosemary.
Beer chicken pairs wonderfully with roast potatoes, raw vegetables and cooked vegetables.
Tips
Serve it with sides like roast potatoes, grilled vegetables or crusty bread to enjoy the sauce.
You can also use dark beer for a more robust flavor, but balance the taste with a hint of sweetness, for example by adding a little honey or sugar.
You can also use dark beer for a more robust flavor, but balance the taste with a hint of sweetness, for example by adding a little honey or sugar.
