Chicken Beer Braised

By exdircomp

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound slab or thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/4 pounds) (the original recipe calls for 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs - about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 2 link andouille sausage, casing removed and chopped,
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 12-ounce beer (preferable brown ale)
• 1 cup frozen pearl onions (the original recipe says to thaw them)
• 1 pound small red-skinned potatoes, cut in chunks
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bulb fennel chopped
• 1 cup carrots chopped
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard 1 tablespoon bourbon molasses mustard (the original recipe calls for 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard)
• 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar (the original recipe calls for 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar)
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles or stewed tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken stock

Preparation

Step 1

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.


Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off the excess. Add the olive oil to the drippings in the pot. Add the chicken in batches and cook over medium-high heat until golden on the bottom, 6 to 7 minutes, then flip and sear the other side, about 1 minute. Remove chicken and saute celery , red pepper, garlic, carrots and fennel. Add chicken back.

Add the beer, onions, potatoes, mustard, sugar, thyme, tomato and chicken stock to the pot and stir, making sure the chicken is fully submerged if not add more stock. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 30 minutes. Discard the thyme and stir in the bacon and parsley.