Pollo en Cerveza (Chicken in Beer)

Tyler Florence was making the ultimate Coq au Vin and it looked amazing as most of his ultimate dishes do. So I started thinking how I could bring it to Latin territory and this is what I came up with. Coq au Biere: Chicken in beer. This was oh-so delicioso! It got better day after day; day 1 was awesome, but day 3 was beyond words.

I really liked the way the beer just mellowed out and became earthy, smoky and slightly sweet as it cooked into the sauce. I originally served it with very ripe, fried plantains or tajadas. I wanted to compliment the flavors of the chicken and beer with the sweetness of the plantains. On days 2 & 3 I served it with white rice to really benefit from the flavors in the sauce. I hope you will give this one a try, it is pretty easy to put together.

Chicken in Beer

8-10 chicken thighs
All purpose flour (for dredging)
2 tsp sea salt
1½ tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic, pureed
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3-4 Spanish chorizo links, sliced (or use bacon)
2 cups onions, chopped
2 cups mushrooms
2 cups carrots, chopped
¼ cup sherry or white wine
1 bottle medium dark ale (like Negra Modelo, Shiner)
2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp Herbes de Provence

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic puree, set aside. Combine flour with a pinch of salt and pepper and use it to coat/dredge the chicken pieces. Reserve 1-2 tbsp of the flour. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat and brown the chicken pieces on both sides. Set aside.

Remove the excess oil and cook the chorizo in the same skillet. Then add the onions, cooking until softened. Add the mushrooms and carrots, and allow to cook until the vegetables have softened. Add the cilantro and Herbes de Provence, once mixed in, add the reserved flour and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes.

Pour the sherry and allow it to cook down over high heat. Then stir in the beer and broth. When the beer is well blended, add the chicken pieces and any juices that drained from the chicken. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour. Remove the lid and continue to simmer for 15 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce a bit.

That’s it! Serve with fried tajadas and or rice. There are tons of step-by-step shots over at my blog, Chef It Yourself.

Cookingly yours,
Anamaris

Other recipes by Anamaris:
Tamales
Pescado a la Caribeña
Puerco en Salsa Verde (Pork in Green Sauce)
Sopa de Arroz con Pollo
A Tale of Two Rice Recipes
Cod in Creamy al Ajillo Sauce
Arroz con Coco (Coconut Rice)
Panamanian Pasta: Johnny Mazzetti
Sopa de Res con Arvejas (Split Pea and Beef Soup)
Yuca Delights: With Mojo or Spicy Mayo-Ketchup
Chuletas Guisadas (Stewed Pork Chops)

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