A delicious beer-braised chicken stew recipe loaded with vegetables, potatoes, carrots, corn, and fresh herbs.
Brrrr, oh it’s time to make some stew to take the chill out of your bones! I may be experiencing “Cali winter,” aka I still occasionally wear shorts and flip flops on the weekend, but I still crave warm winter foods. Are you still in colder times where you live? To get started, we are going to need some chicken (check!), vegetables (double check!), and some beer (check! Wait, whut?!?!).
Oh yes, some BEER. If you haven’t tried adding a little bit of bubbly fermented goodness to your soups and stews yet, then you have been missing out. Not to fret, I have a hot and delicious, bowl scraping, ask for seconds recipe. This hearty beer-braised chicken stew with vegetables is coming your way!
My husband Jason is a big fan of beer, probably more than wine, but not as much as scotch, ha. There are many ways to brew, flavor and age beer that not one tastes the same. Some can even go up to 11% alcohol, and that’s 3% away from a bottle of vino!
A light and refreshing lager on a hot summer day, a chocolate stout to go with some dessert, or a golden hoppy, flavorful ale to add to a hearty soup (saving a sip for the chef) is my plan!
I was inspired by a visit to Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, California. They have brewery tours, a full-blown bistro (with soft pretzels!!!), beers on tap, and a beautiful beer garden so you can grab a pint and enjoy the day outside. Super kid friendly too, fist bump for parents! After spending an afternoon of beer and food tasting, I was curious to see what would happen when adding a hint of alcohol into a bubbling pot of chicken stew.
How To Make Chicken Stew with Beer
This hearty, savory big ole’ pot of stew is a whole meal packed into one. You’ve got everything you would want for a satisfying stew; big chunks of tender chicken, baby potatoes, carrots, sweet potato, mushrooms, corn still on the cob and a nice splash or two of beer.
- Beer Selection: I decided to use a pale ale for its dark amber color, slight bitterness, and big hoppy flavor. You can certainly try other styles, and their character will shine through in the flavor of the stew, yum!
- Chicken: If you like a little leaner cut of meat, chicken breasts work great. If you are hesitant about the dryness factor, go for chicken thighs. They tend to stay a little moister because it has more fat in the meat.
- Vegetables: Good vegetables to chose for a braised chicken stew are heartier roots like potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, and corn since it will cook for a while in the oven. Delicate vegetables will not hold up as well to the longer cooking times like green beans or zucchini.
- Seasoning: Aromatic seasoning ingredients to add to the stew are onions, garlic, thyme, and some brown sugar to balance the bitterness from the beer.
- Thickening: Flour and tomato paste is added to the stew and is cooked with the braising until the liquid gets lightly thickened. It is then is allowed to continue to cook slowly in the oven, infusing all of the flavors into the stew. Yum!
- Braising: To incorporate big flavor into the stew, the chicken is browned first to create flavor, then cooked slowly in the liquid with vegetables in a closed vessel. The braised dish starts on the stove for the sauteing and then finishes in the oven. The result is a super tender beer-braised chicken stew loaded with flavor and tender vegetables!
Don’t worry, most of the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process, so the complex flavors of the brew add more depth to the stew liquid.
Because Ale beers can be slightly bitter, I added some brown sugar to balance those notes. After eating a bowl of this chicken ale stew, I was ready to put on my PJ’s, wrap myself up in a warm fuzzy blanket and get some zzz’s.
If you are looking for more comforting and wholesome meals? Try my white bean and chicken chili or my chicken butternut squash soup. All of these recipes are super healthy and can be prepared in one pot! What kind of beer will you use for your beer-braised chicken stew?
Why do you cook the stew in the oven versus on the stovetop?
After starting the chicken ale stew on the stovetop to brown the chicken and get the stew liquid simmering, I finished the braising cooking process in the oven at 300°F for about 30 minutes. Make sure to use a heatproof pot! I like to use my Le Creuset dutch oven for cooking the stew in the oven with a tight-fitting lid, allows the steam to collect and cook the meat and vegetables slowly and evenly at a consistent temperature. Sometimes there are hotspots under the burners, so you have to check regularly and stir the pot, and it’s harder to control the temperature over time.
Chicken Stew with Vegetables
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pound chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, to season
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper, to season
Stew
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, ½” by ½” dice
- 1 clove garlic, sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons
- 3 cups unsalted chicken stock
- 1 cups beer, pale ale recommended
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon thyme, minced
- 1 cup white potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup brown mushrooms, cut into ¼-inch slices
- 2 corn on the cob, 1 cob cut into 4 pieces, and 1 cob kernels removed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup Italian parsley leaves, chopped
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
Instructions
Chicken
- Season each side of the chicken breasts with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the seasoned chicken and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium and flip the chicken over.
- Cook until just cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and transfer chicken to a clean plate and shred into large pieces, reserve.
- There will be browned bits at the bottom of the pot, leave this in as it adds flavor to the stew.
Stew
- Position oven rack to the lower position and preheat to 300°F.
- Heat the pot over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive.
- Once the oil is hot, add the diced onions and garlic, and sauté for 3 minutes until onions are tender.
- Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Mix ¼ cup of flour, and cook for one minute.
- Whisk in 3 cups of chicken stock, 1 cup of beer, brown sugar and thyme. Use the whisk to scrape and incorporate any of the browned bits of flour on the bottom of the pot.
- Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. The liquid should be simmering with light bubbles breaking the surface, not boiling!
- Add the chicken, potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, mushrooms corn (kernels and whole cut pieces), 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper, stir to combine.
- Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid. Transfer pot to the oven and cook until vegetables are tender about 55 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the oven.
- For a thicker stew liquid, whisk 2 tablespoons flour with ½ cup of the hot stew liquid. Stir into stew, cover the pan with the lid and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper as desired. Garnish with parsley and radish.
Equipment
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Anete says
And I forgot to add that I added one bell pepper, smoked paprika powder, and a squeeze of lemon when serving the dish.