They say you should write about things that you have a good understanding of, right? Precisely why I steer clear of yeast, pressure-cookers, souffles, etc. Not to say the day won’t come when I’ll peak out from behind my shielded comfort zone and attempt those daunting tasks – but, let’s be real here folks. What do I have a solid understanding of? Sauce. And infusing sauce with delicious alcoholic beverages like stout beer. Let me just interject here, quickly, that the stout beer is nothing short of incredible in this dish. It almost creates a caramel-like flavor that is simply divine. Not to mention chicken thighs. Chicken thighs are my jam. Chicken thighs should be your jam, too, because they’re the most tender, flavorful little morsels of chicken-joy. Throw a honey-dijon glaze into this beauty of a combination? Score and score. Simply put, the sweet and savory in this dish meld together peanut butter and jelly. You dig? It just works and you can’t say no. So you might as well say yes and take this baby for a spin.
And last but not least, I can’t pretend to take the credit for this treasure of a recipe; it’s slightly modified from The Beeroness, so for that, thank you!
Guinness-Braised Honey-Dijon Chicken Thighs:
- 3 lbs chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup chopped shallots
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 1/4 cups stout beer
- ½ cup beef broth
- (simmer until reduced by about half)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 2 tablespoons whole dijon mustard
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Let’s begin by preheating the oven to 425 degrees. Next, season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Then, in a large saute pan, heat the two tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat and once hot, add the chicken thighs to the pan skin-down. Let brown for for 5-7 minutes or until the skin becomes golden and crispy. Flip the chicken and let cook for an additional 5-7 minutes [note: they aren’t cooked all the way through yet – just getting them crispy and beautiful before placing them in the oven to finish off].
Remove from heat and set aside for the moment. Given the amount of liquid that accumulated in the pan, we drained most of leaving about a few tablespoons to coat the pan. Then, in the same pan, add your shallots, garlic, rosemary and thyme and let cook for about 5 or so minutes – or until they start to brown.
Then, de-glaze the pan with the stout beer, add the mushrooms and let simmer until reduced by about 1/2.
Now, add your beef broth, honey, dijon mustard and heavy cream.
Bring to a boil, mixing well, and then return to a simmer. Return the chicken thighs to the pan, ensuring each one is coated in the sauce, and place in the oven to cook through for an additional 17 to 20 minutes or until the thighs reach 165 degrees.
Then, whip up your handy-dandy cornstarch slurry (by mixing the cornstarch with water). When the chicken is finished, remove it from the oven and transfer the thighs to a new plate. Bring the remaining sauce to a simmer and slowly pour the cornstarch slurry into the sauce, whisking vigorously [this simply thickens the sauce, because, well, who doesn’t want to taste more sauce!]. Once thickened, remove from heat and pour atop your beautiful chicken thighs.
Finally, pour yourself a tall glass of Guinness and dig right in. We served this with our Thyme Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese and it was nothing short of delicious.
Cheers!
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Guinness-Braised Honey-Dijon Chicken Thighs:
- 3 lbs chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup chopped shallots
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 1/4 cups stout beer
- ½ cup beef broth
- (simmer until reduced by about half)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 2 tablespoons whole dijon mustard
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Let’s begin by preheating the oven to 425 degrees. Next, season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Then, in a large saute pan, heat the two tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat and once hot, add the chicken thighs to the pan skin-down. Let brown for for 5-7 minutes or until the skin becomes golden and crispy. Flip the chicken and let cook for an additional 5-7 minutes [note: they aren’t cooked all the way through yet – just getting them crispy and beautiful before placing them in the oven to finish off]. Remove from heat and set aside for the moment. Given the amount of liquid that accumulated in the pan, we drained most of leaving about a few tablespoons to coat the pan. Then, in the same pan, add your shallots, garlic, rosemary and thyme and let cook for about 5 or so minutes – or until they start to brown. Then, de-glaze the pan with the stout beer, add the mushrooms and let simmer until reduced by about 1/2. Now, add your beef broth, honey, dijon mustard and heavy cream. Bring to a boil, mixing well, and then return to a simmer. Return the chicken thighs to the pan, ensuring each one is coated in the sauce, and place in the oven to cook through for an additional 17 to 20 minutes or until the thighs reach 165 degrees. Then, whip up your handy-dandy cornstarch slurry (by mixing the cornstarch with water). When the chicken is finished, remove it from the oven and transfer the thighs to a new plate. Bring the remaining sauce to a simmer and slowly pour the cornstarch slurry into the sauce, whisking vigorously [this simply thickens the sauce, because, well, who doesn’t want to taste more sauce!]. Once thickened, remove from heat and pour atop your beautiful chicken thighs. Finally, pour yourself a tall glass of Guinness and dig right in. We served this with our Thyme Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese and it was nothing short of delicious.
Cheers!
