Cooking Chicken With Beer – Beer Brined Chicken
Roasted beer brined chicken
In our house, we eat a lot of chicken so while I’ve been experimenting with cooking with beer, I’ve enjoyed cooking chicken with beer. My favourite and the most versatile I’ve found, is beer brining. You can use a plethora of beers to create different flavours and super moist chicken.
Why Should You Be Cooking Chicken With Beer?
Beer brining not only adds flavour, it also tenderises the meat. Alpha acids and tannins in the beer help to break down the fibres in the meat, making it more tender and juicy. My current favourite beer to use for this is Theakston’s Old Peculiar. This is an old ale and adds rich flavours to roasted chicken breast. I also used it on chicken I put on the bbq recently and it was delicious! I have tried craft lager with lime for excellent tacos – Utopian or Braybrook lagers would be great for this.
Don’t just experiment with cooking chicken with beer! I’ve also beer brined beef for stir fry. I find that the beer adds a depth of flavour to home cooking that you usually only get with restaurant food, and it’s a great substitute for wine!
Beer brine with Theakston’s Old Peculiar
Here’s my beer brine recipe for roasted chicken breast, I’m quite free with this recipe – I don’t really measure, so go with your culinary gut on this one!
Ingredients:
Chicken breast
Bottle of beer (I love Theakston’s Old Peculiar)
Water
1 tsp each of:
Salt
Sugar
Garlic granules
Crushed garlic clove
Method:
1. Place your chicken breast in an airtight box and partially cover with the beer. Add the other brine ingredients and stir, then top up with water until chicken is covered.
2. Keep in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight – the longer you leave it the tastier it becomes!
3. Roast or cook on the bbq as usual and enjoy!
Beer brined chicken on the bbq
Alternatives:
You can experiment with cooking chicken with beer with a variety of styles. Try pairing lager with lime juice, smoked paprika and chilli flakes. Or try a dry stout or porter. I’d avoid anything that is very hoppy though, as the bitterness will come through in the cooking.
Let me know if you try this recipe in the comments!
