These tender Honey Beer Braised Chicken Thighs are packed with rich flavors! Boneless skinless chicken thighs are marinated in garlic, thyme, spices, beer and honey and served with an onion gravy reduction for a delicious 30 minute dinner recipe that pairs great with pasta or potatoes.
Beer Braised Chicken
If you are looking to take your chicken to the next level with amazing flavors, these Honey Beer Braised Chicken Thighs are where its at! While many people think of chicken as bland and boring, they are the perfect vehicle to add great flavors.
Not only can you add flavor to chicken with this beer and honey marinate, by using chicken thighs you get a juicier piece of meat.
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thigh Recipe
To keep this recipe quick and simple, we are using boneless skinless chicken thighs. Much like this Lemon Feta Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs & Potato recipe, we are adding so much flavor in a short amount of time!
If you have whole chicken thighs with the bone and skin, you can certainly still use them but you will need to cook them longer in the braising liquid until they reach an internal temperature of 165F.
Can I use Chicken Breasts?
If you can’t find any chicken thighs at your local grocer or you just prefer lean chicken breasts, you can absolutely use them. Just keep a close eye on them as you cook them to an internal temperature of 165F, being sure not to overcook them. Chicken breasts are more likely to dry out as you overcook them any amount.
Best Beer for Marinating Chicken
Lager is our go-to for cooking with chicken, but a nice ale is also a good choice. At the end of the day, a decent beer with mild or middle of the road flavors is going to work great in the marinate. The only beer we would avoid is a rich stout as that can overpower the other flavors like garlic and thyme.
This recipe for beer braised chicken only calls or 1/2 cup of beer, so crack open a cold one and enjoy the rest of the can as you cook!
How to make Honey Beer Marinated Chicken Thighs
Once you pick out your beer, you just need to gather a few more ingredients and you are ready to get cooking!
Honey Beer Marinade for Chicken
Here is what you will need to marinate your chicken thighs.
- 3 Thyme sprigs
- 2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
- 3½ teaspoons Cayenne pepper
- Ground black pepper
- ½ cup Beer
- 1 Tablespoon Soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
Add everything to a large bowl or resealable bag and let marinate for 10 minutes or up to 12 hours.
Cooking Beer Braised Chicken
Heat a non-stick skillet with oil on medium-high heat. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and sear on both sides for 4 minutes to add a nice golden brown sear to them. Keep the marinade!
Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. In the same skillet, sauté the onions on medium heat for a couple minutes until they are softened and translucent.
Pour the honey beer marinade in the skillet with the onions and heat over medium-low heat to reduce the liquid a bit. Add the chicken thighs and cook for 2 minutes. Flip chicken and cook for another 2 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165F.
How to serve honey beer chicken
Garnish the chicken thighs with cilantro and serve with mashed potatoes or fresh pasta. If you want to make this a well rounded meal, here are some veggie sides that go great with the chicken thighs.
- Honey Roasted Beets & Carrots
- Roasted Caesar Asparagus
- Pomegranate Apple Spinach Salad
- Garlic Mushrooms
Honey Beer Braised Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup beer
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons honey
Onion Gravy
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small white onion sliced
Serving
- Chopped cilantro optional
- Potatoes or Pasta for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, season the chicken with thyme, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Massage the chicken.
- Pour beer, soy sauce and honey in the bowl and stir. Set aside for 10 minutes (or refrigerate covered for up to 12 hours)
- Heat a non-stick skillet with oil on medium-high heat. Do NOT discard the marinade! Remove chicken thighs from the marinade and sear on both sides for 4 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, sauté onions on medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour the marinade in the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook over medium heat until it reduced by 1/3. Add the chicken thighs and cook for 2 minutes. Flip chicken and cook for another 2 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with mashed potatoes or pasta.
Shannon says
10 Reviews?? Everyone should know about this recipe- it’s the best I’ve ever used for boneless skinless c thighs. I used a pale ale and subbed cayenne with smoked paprika and oh my word, the beer and smokiness of the paprika, chef’s kiss! Will def try with cayenne next time for some more heat. I only did a 10 min marinade but can’t imagine how much better it will be if I have more time. This will be on reg rotation. Thank you for sharing this gem, Danielle!
Danielle Green says
So glad you loved it Shannon, thanks for the kind review!