Cherry beer braised chicken thighs with figs

Should food and cooking be considered as an artform? I believe it should! Just take a look at the colours in this meal and agree with me! Just look at the colour of those figs and onions. What painter could invent this? But most important they compliment the “Cherry beer braised chicken” I made last week. This delicious stew had been on my mind for a while. I finally managed to bring it on the BBQ and serve it to you.

Disclosure: "This post contains test products and affiliate links, which means that if you buy one of the products through the mentioned links, I'll get a small commision to keep this blog running. All opionions shared are my own."

Cherry beer braised chicken

As told above, the idea for this recipe was formed a while ago. In the end of september my mother gave me a royal part of her homegrown figs. She suggested to braise them in some port. She made a similar meal before and I have to admit it tasted delicious. Especially for those in love of sweetness. Last weeks “Trolls Wings” were I told about the cherry beer brine my friend uses for his wings made me think about the recipe again. I decided to finally use those figs and use them in a cherry beer braised chicken stew.

Lindemans Kriek

Though the suggestion made by my mother was a good suggestion I decided to go for something different. Mom I promise you: “Next part of the stash will drink some port”. I opted for the beer for a more balanced palate. Lindemans Kriek is a belgian Lambic style beer. The “Geuzesteker” combines “old aged cherry beer” with a splash of young cherry beer. This way there’s a secundary fermentation in the bottle leading to a nice sparkling beer rich in flavor. In opposition to moste Geuze beers the taste is sweeter. The usage of unsweetened syrup instead of fresh cherries makes it less sour and more approachable.

This type of beer compliments the fruit in the stew but also adds an extra layer of subtle bitterness and a gentle sour flavor. Since the beer was sweeter than I thought it would be I added some extra lemon peel and raspberry vinegar to further enhance the acidic taste. You can do this at your own taste. If you think it tastes to bitter in the end you can always add some extra sweetness to bring more balance. I let the ingredients simmer gently for about 1h30 in the fireproof bottom part of my fireproof Tajine. Since it allowes me to cook the stew directly above the fire and has more place than my skillet I consider it as an excellent option. You could also use the tajine on it’s own for this chery beer braised chicken stew.

Grilled chicken

Before adding the chicken thighs to the stew I rubbed them with a mixture of “Ras el Hanout”, smoked Paprika and salt. I grilled them on a high fire to roast it on the outside and let it simmer afterwards. “Ras el Hanout” is a Morrocan spice blend with the best spices a shop owner sells. Storebought Ras el Hanout is a commersialised spice blend. Each brand uses it’s own different spices and proportions making things somewhat complicated. I used this one by “Jonnie Boer” consisting out of Paprika, coriander seed, cumin seed, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, turmeric, nutmeg, cloves, piment and cardamon. Spices that compliment the meal served. Don’t forget to rub under the skin!

My wife always laughs when I’m proudly saying it tastes delicious. In our environment it appears the men like to themselves on the shoulder (hope this is an english saying too :p) when we have made something good. Women keep waiting to hear it from another. Anyway: I’m glad I finally made it to present this recipe. For lovers of beer this is a recipe you need to try once. I would be glad to see your result and hear what you made of it. Moreover: If you made some delicious BBQ meals yourself I would love to see them appear on the facebook page too! I would share your passion for cooking with love! Feel free to do the same.

Feel free to share the cherry beer braised chicken with your friends. Even if they don’t know how to handel a BBQ. They could use the oven to make this recipe and hopefully they will realise one day the BBQ could add some extra depth to their meals. The more people enjoying BBQ the better the world will get ?

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My intent with this blog is sharing you some recipes as a source of inspiration you could access for free. Bringing this content however isn’t free. To cope with the costs I make use of affiliate links where I could earn a small referral commision for the products you could buy after clicking the links.  This support helps me running this blog. I guarantee no false statements will be made on this blog and only products I believe in will be linked. Hoping you understand this decision. Thank you! :).

In this cherry beer braised chicken post: 
- There's an affiliate link on the "Ras el Hanout", "Emile Henry Tajine", 
- The Lindemans Kriek was used without any commercial intent. I bought the beer myself and don't get money for promoting the product.

All opinions shared are my own.