DRUNKEN CHICKEN

DRUNKEN CHICKEN

(a Hungry Belgian creation)
- 10-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2-3 large carrots, sliced
- 2-3 stalks of celery, diced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
- 1 6oz can of tomato paste
- 6-8 slices of thick cut bacon, sliced in strips
- 16oz of button mushrooms, halved (if small enough, you can leave them whole)
- 2 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed in 1-inch thick pieces
- 2-3 cups of chicken stock
- 12-16 oz of brown ale/beer (I used 1.5 bottles Newcastle… and drank the other half)
- 4 Tbsp of fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 Tbsp of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- salt & pepper to taste
- flour, to coat & brown the chicken
- olive oil, to sauté vegetables and chicken

Dice onion & celery in a approx. equal size dice, slice carrots in discs. Chop fresh herbs and set aside. Crush garlic and set aside.

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, without added oil or butter, sauté bacon over medium-high heat until crisp but not blackened. Set aside and drain all but 2 Tbsp of bacon fat from the pot.

Rinse & pat chicken dry. Season with salt & pepper on all sides. Coat dry chicken thighs in flour and brown over medium-high heat on all sides in the reserved bacon fat. Set aside.

In same pot, add a bit of olive oil to the crusty bacon grease and sauté garlic, carrots, celery & onions over medium-high heat until beginning to soften. Add in tomato paste and cook for another 1-2 min over medium heat. The bottom of the pot will be quite crusty by now. Add a hefty splash of beer to the pan, and scrape all the flavorful bits off of the bottom. Adding more beer, if needed.

Add reserved chicken & potatoes into pot, stir and cover with remaining beer and chicken stock. Add half of the fresh herbs and all bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for approx. 30 minutes. If liquid gets low, add a bit more chicken stock or water. After 30 min, add in reserved bacon and mushrooms, and cook another 15-20 min until mushrooms are cooked thru and chicken is fork-tender. Season with more salt & pepper, if needed.

Discard bay leaves, sprinkle remaining herbs over the top and serve with crusty country bread.

* thehungrybelgian.com