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Chicken braised in beer with mushrooms

Chicken braised in beer with mushrooms

Braising in beer is common in beer-drinking nations such as Belgium. The yeasty flavour permeates the ingredients, but be careful to choose a beer that doesn’t overpower. A pale ale is best for chicken and pork, but beef is well suited to a rich dark ale.

Chicken braised in beer with mushrooms

Serves 4
Cooking Time Prep time 20 mins, cook 1 hr 10 minutes
50 gm   butter, coarsely chopped
1   free-range chicken (about 1.8kg), cut into 12 pieces
1   onion, thinly sliced
3   garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3   large field mushrooms, quartered
250 ml   pale ale
125 ml   (½ cup) pouring cream
80 gm   silverbeet leaves, coarsely chopped
¼ cup   (loosely packed) tarragon


1 Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until beginning to foam. Add chicken pieces and cook in batches, turning often, until golden brown (4-5 minutes). Remove chicken and set aside. Add onion and garlic to pan and sauté over medium heat until soft (3-4 minutes). Add mushrooms and sauté until just starting to soften (2-3 minutes). Return chicken to pan, season to taste, add beer, bring to the simmer, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until chicken is just cooked through (30-35 minutes).
2 Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside. Add cream and silverbeet to pan, increase heat to medium-high and cook until liquid is reduced by half (8-10 minutes). Return chicken to pan, add tarragon and cook until warmed through (1-2 minutes). Serve immediately.


Drink Suggestion Belgian ale.

RECIPE Rodney Dunn PHOTOGRAPHY Ben Dearnley STYLING Rodney Dunn and Elodie Rambaud DRINK SUGGESTION Max Allen

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