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This Healthier 30 Minute Beer Braised Chicken is for cold fall nights when you want a hearty and warming slow-braised chicken, but you want it ready in less than an hour. All made in the instant pot (with slow cooker and stove-stop directions too), using simple, wholesome ingredients that you may already have on hand. The key to this chicken is all in the beer, which gives the sauce a deep, rich flavor. This dish is warm, flavorful, hearty but healthy, so delicious, and great for busy nights.
You know those recipes that are just really good? The ones you turn to time and time again because they never fail and everyone always loves them? Well, this is very much one of those recipes. And I love so much that I get to share it with you guys because it’s so perfect for the crazy months ahead.
Funny enough, this recipe was inspired by one I made way back in the very early days of writing Half Baked Harvest. I was still living at home with my family, and cooking dinner every night. When it comes to eating, my family usually sways towards the simpler, midwest style recipe. They’ve now come to love just about everything I make, but the comfort food recipes will always be their favorites.
Anyway, the original recipe that inspired today’s similar, but different, recipe was from October 2013. I still cannot believe that HBH is getting so old! It was and still is, a delicious dish, but this version is healthier, better, and easier too. Our recent extra chilly temperatures call for serious comfort food, so I pulled this out of the archives.
PS. if you want to take a little trip down memory lane, you can see the post I’m talking about here. My writing and my photos scare me, but I love that I have these super old posts to look back on. It’s really fun to see the growth and how far HBH has come since the beginning of our second year!!
As I said, my family loves comfort food and one of their favorites is chicken and rice. This is basically just the fancier upgrade. And you guys…it’s SO GOOD.
The chicken is cooked in pumpkin beer along with roasted tomatoes, seasonings, and a touch of bacon for added flavor. I like to serve this over steamed with a generous side of my favorite honey butter beer bread. (Recipe in the HBH cookbook).
It’s so cozy and so delicious, but yet pretty healthy too!
Here is how you make this easy beer braised chicken:
I prefer to make this in the instant pot. I recently upgraded to this one and am loving it so much. That said, I’ve also included slow cooker and stovetop cooking directions for those who may not have an Instant Pot.
First things first, start a pot of rice so that it cooks while the chicken is cooking. Yes, rice and beer bread are pretty much required with this dish. Promise you will be so happy you went along with these additions.
Next, the bacon. This adds so much flavor to this dish and using a little really goes a long way. I love the smokiness it brings.
Once the bacon has been crisped, sear the chicken right in the instant pot. Then add all the remaining ingredients…tomatoes, peppers, spices, and pumpkin beer (or whatever beer you love). Cook for 6 minutes.
Less than 10 minutes after sealing the instant pot, your dinner is complete. It’s so quick and leaves you with chicken that’s so tender it’s almost falling apart.
As delicious as the chicken is, this recipe is all about the sauce.
It reminds me of a warming slow-cooked chili, but a little less spicy. The beer adds a really deep, rich flavor. And if using a pumpkin beer, a very subtle undertone of warming pumpkin spice as well.
To bump up the flavors of this sauce, I used a mix of chili powder, smoked paprika, and my secret ingredient, apple butter. I know it may seem weird to use apple butter in a savory chicken recipe, but the sweetness balances out the spices. Go with me on this, promise it takes this braised chicken to a whole new level of GOOD.
And you guys, that’s it. So simple, but yet so delicious, pretty healthy..ish, and an all-around a great dinner for any night of the week from now…until winter’s end. I find this especially fitting for Sunday and or Monday night dinner at home with the fam. And again, simply serve with rice (use brown rice or quinoa if you prefer) and a side of beer bread.
Nothing is more delicious. This is a top HBH recipe…as declared by my family. Enjoy, enjoy!!
If you make this healthier 30 minute beer braised chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Healthier 30 Minute Beer Braised Chicken.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 508 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (can use GF flour too)
- 3 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 2 small yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 (12 ounce) pumpkin beer, or whatever you drink
- 1 can (14 ounce) diced fire-roasted tomatoes with chilies
- 1 tablespoon apple butter or real maple syrup
- 1 red bell peppers, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- cooked white or brown rice, for serving
Instructions
Instant Pot
- 1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and dredge the chicken through the flour, coating it completely.2. Set Instant Pot to sauté. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. Add the chicken to the instant pot and sear on both sides until browned, about 2 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, cook 3 minutes. Turn the instant pot off.3. To the instant pot, add the beer, tomatoes, apple butter, bell pepper, chili powder, paprika, thyme, cayenne, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.4. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function. Set the Instant pot to sauté and bring to a boil, boil 10-12 minutes or until the liquid reduces slightly. Turn the instant pot off. Remove the thyme and discard. Stir in the parsley and reserved bacon.5. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice.
Slow Cooker
- 1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and dredge the chicken through the flour, coating it completely.2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. Add the chicken and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet and place directly into the slow cooker. Add the onions, garlic, beer, tomatoes, apple butter, bell pepper, chili powder, paprika, thyme, cayenne, and season with salt and pepper. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. 3. Remove the lid, cook 30 minutes on high to thicken the sauce. Remove the thyme and discard. Stir in the parsley and reserved bacon.4. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice.
Stove Top
- 1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and dredge the chicken through the flour, coating it completely.2. Cook the bacon in a large braiser over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. Add the chicken and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Add the onions and garlic, cook 5 minutes. 3. Reduce the heat to low. Add the beer, tomatoes, apple butter, bell pepper, chili powder, paprika, thyme, cayenne, and season with salt and pepper. Partially cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the parsley and reserved bacon.4. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice.
This post was originally published on October 14, 2019
So easy and so good! Happened across this recipe as I was trying to find something for three leftover chicken breasts and I had every ingredient handy except the red pepper- it’s great without that too ☺️ Thank you!
I am so glad you loved this! Thank you Karen! xTieghan
The stove top recipe needs to be amended so that the sauce reduces and the chicken does not dry out. It says to partially cover and simmer for 30min- I had to adjust when I noticed that the sauce was too liquid. Causing the chicken to stay in the heat too long while the sauce thickened up on a higher heat with no cover.
Thank you! I will look at it, I am sorry you had trouble! xTieghan
Really tasty!!! We ended up using thighs with bone in but skinless as we enjoy dark meat better! So tender!
We did make a flour slurry to thicken the sauce a bit!
Did omit bacon bc my husband can’t eat pork but still had a ton of flavor
I am so glad you loved this Stephanie! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Would this be safe to feed my kids? I worry about the alcohol not cooking out if its in the instant pot.
Hey Whitney, personally I feel it is safe and I know it’s also something my mom would feed her kids (I am 1 of 7). The alcohol does get cooked out and only add flavor to the sauce, BUT that said I am by no means a medical professional and do not feel comfortable advising you on this. So sorry I was not able to help you further. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
So we add bacon to crockpot too?
Hey Emily, the bacon gets stirred in towards the end of cooking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
I made this on Saturday and it was a hit with the entire family! We had it for lunch on Sunday and I think it was even better the second day.
Thank you so much Jen! xTieghan
I made this tonight – including the bread! It turned out AWESOME! Definitely will be making again 🙂 Thank you!!
Thank you so much Raquel! xTieghan
So I usually cut the spicy ingredient in half in recipes bc my husband doesn’t like spicy food. But I’m a fan of spice. That being said, I used only 1/4 tsp of cayenne and this dish was fire. I had to add heavy cream to try to decrease the spicy-ness.
Hi Kim! I am sorry it turned out so spicy for you! I hope it was better with the cream! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan – any suggestions for a beer substitute? I’m gluten free and although there are gf beers, most aren’t tasty enough to warrant buying a pack for a recipe… Thank you!
Hi there!! I would recommend using an equal amount of apple cider. I think that will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
I used chicken thighs and slow cooker on high for 3 hrs. Color is NOTHING like in the picture. Mine is watery, all vegetables are clearly visible/not cooked down, and flavor is very bland. We usually love meals made from HBH recipes but this was a definite loser for my family.
Hi Marta, So sorry you are having trouble. Was there anything different you did? I’ve never had issues with the sauce not cooking down and I definitely have never found this to be bland. Any info will be helpful to help me problem solve and figure out what might be happening for you. It’s hard to know without knowing any details. Hope I can help you! xTieghan
Followed recipe. Used maple syrup instead of apple butter. Delicious, quick meal. Perfect for fall, great leftovers! Reduced perfectly, great seasoning!
Amazing! Thank you Liv! xTieghan
Delicious! Only sorry I forgot to make the bread!
I am really glad you enjoyed this Arlene! Thank you! xTieghan
Can I use frozen Chicken Breasts for this in the instapot?
Hi Noel, yes you can. Just add 5-8 minutes (depending on the size of your breast) to the cooking time. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
So the goal this weekend is to make this, along with the pumpkin choc. chip cookies! What do you thinking of subbing apple butter with pumpkin butter? Would it not be sweet enough?
Hey JB! I actally think using pumpkin butter could be really delicious! It will give you a creamier sauce too. Great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe and let me know how it turns out with the pumpkin butter! Thank you! xTieghan ???
This was delicious!! I used chicken thighs because that’s what i had and it was so good I’m definetly making this again!
Thank you so much Janet! xTieghan