Beer Marinated Chicken Thighs
In my 30 years on earth I never really thought of myself as a dark meat kind of gal. At Thanksgiving I naturally skip over the dark and just go for the white meat… but I’ve been wrong all along. Lately I have found myself going for that dark meat and passing over the chicken breasts because, truthfully, it’s extremely juicy, flavorful and more tender! Everyone is all hung up on chicken breasts because they’re “lean”, and “better for you”… pah! Don’t get me wrong I like chicken breasts too, but I think thighs get overlooked quite a bit.
They are under utilized!
They need a comeback!
They need some love!
And who doesn’t like the sound of chicken soaked in beer anyways!?
So here is a recipe for you to try on some chicken thighs. These thighs marinate in beer, spices, lime juice and cilantro for a few hours then you slapped onto the grill for some crispy charred goodness. In theory you could try this on chicken breasts, but give thighs a try… please? You’ll be glad you did!! Oh and the beer in this recipe works as a tenderizer {not that thighs really need that or anything} so please don’t expect beer tasting chicken mmm-kay? Sorry to let you down… but look on the bright side… there is a little leftover beer after measuring so CHEERS {just drink responsibly okay}!!
Some of my favorite ingredients…
And some of my favorite spices! I get my Ancho-Chile Pepper and Cinnamon through Penzy’s Spices… because it’s the bestest!!
Start off by pressing a few garlic cloves into a large bowl.
It should measure out to be about a teaspoon to a teaspoon and a half.
Dump in the spices…
Season with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Grab some fresh cilantro and chop it up. Seriously folks, I can’t get enough of cilantro in the summertime. I just love it oh-so-much!
Drizzle in two tablespoons sesame seed oil.
Oh yeah and add the cilantro! How could I forget??
Squeeze in the juice of half a lime. And slice up the rest of the lime and squeeze a wedge into your beer! That’s if you like that sort of thing. Me, personally, I LOVE that sort of thing!!
Measure and pour in a cup of beer.
Watch it bubble and fizz.
Then whisk until all the spices are well mixed throughout.
Place the two pounds of chicken thighs into a large re-sealable bag or large bowl. I trim off any excess fat before I stick them in the bag.
Pour the marinade over the top.
Seal the bag and squish the chicken around to coat evenly. Place in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours, tossing around every now and again.
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Remove the chicken and discard the marinade. Lay the chicken on the grill grates and cover for a few minutes per side until cooked all the way through.
I love how the cilantro sticks to the chicken. Once the chicken is cooked, remove and let rest for a few minutes under foil. I have a recipe I’ll be posting this week showing you just how you can use this marinated chicken in some delicious soft tacos! Stay tuned!
Beer Marinated Chicken Thighs
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs
2-3 cloves of Garlic, pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon Ancho-Chile Pepper
1 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon Fresh Cracked Pepper
2 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 cup {8 fl. oz.} Beer, any kind should do
2 tablespoons Sesame Seed Oil
Juice of half a large lime
Directions:
Combine the garlic, spices, cilantro, sesame seed oil, beer and lime juice into a medium sized bowl. Place chicken thighs in a re-sealable bag or a large bowl, pour the marinade over top and toss to coat. Seal and place into fridge for 2 hours.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat, and place the chicken thighs onto the grates. Grill for 4-6 minutes per side {depending} until cooked thoroughly.
Over the past few years I’ve been on a mission to find and create recipes that I can make from scratch. I hope you enjoy the recipes on this blog as they are tried and true from my kitchen to yours! (
Quick little editorial comment: Your written recipe says chicken breasts. I think you meant chicken thighs.
Phew! Good catch April!! Can I send you all my stuff to proof read?? I can't be trusted! LOL! thanks
What beer did you use? I know you say any beer will do but there's a big difference between the flavours of a rich dark chocolate porter, amber ales, and corona… Just curious
You're absolutely right… I used a light beer… but now I'm curious on what a richer dark beer would taste like in this marinade… hmmm! I'll have to play around with that one!
That is terribly good..
Oh man, that sounds fantastic!!
Oh wow!!! Those look fantastic. You've made me a believer…to hell with the breast. Ok, well to be honest you had me at beer and by the time you got to the sesame oil I was going to leave my husband and switch teams!
First timer here…can't wait to poke around some more. I already love what I see! Thanks for the inspiration!
Lots of yummy love,
Alex
Suck lovely coloring once cooked, I love it. As always I really enjoy step by step pics.
my husband would love these! I totally agree, I've always stayed away from the dark meat but its really a shame to miss out! love your recipe and can't wait for your tacos!
Bookmarking right now! These look amazing! I love the marinade! I love my chicken breasts, but it is good to switch up and use thighs sometimes too!
This looks fantastic!
I love chicken thighs and make a big batch at the start of every week to eat for the whole week!
I never thought of using beer to marinate the chicken thighs…I'm going to try this recipe tomorrow
I just love chicken thighs and am sure I will give this recipe a try soon. Thanks for the step by step instructions.
YUM! I just finished eating this for dinner. It was storming outside so we pan fried it and it was quite very tasty. My husband used a stout beer that was delicious. We also had a strawberry vinegar salad that was a great contrast to the chicken. Thanks for sharing! I'm loving your blog!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I spooned a little dollop of sour cream on top and enjoyed every single bite. The thing I enjoyed to most while cooking the chicken was the aroma of the cinnamon. It was awesome! Next time I think I'll cut it up and use it for chicken tacos.
Chicken thighs are under utilized! This sounds like an awesome way to use up some of the thighs I have in the freezer
Marinade is so flavorful!! I put my thighs in the fridge in the morning and they were so tender!! I think I might try chicken breasts next time just to see how they turn out!!!
I did use an IPA (Sierra Nevada) and it was great!!!
I have some bone-in chix breast (no thighs:/ ) marinating in this right now
Can't wait to try!
Tried it last night and the turned out awesome! They will be making an appearance next taco night.
Hi Simply Scratch!
I was wondering if I could feature your recipe on CraftBeer.com? CraftBeer.com is a website by the Brewers Association that works to educated people on craft beer (cooking with it, pairing with it, tasting it, etc.)
I would create a post similar to this one: http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/beer-and-food/recipes/recipes-list/show?title=
Wow making it this weekend, love that you can get this cut of meat so cheap, we need to keep this a secret if it tastes as good as it sounds it will be great, thanks for the recipe
This was absolutely delicious. After throwing the chicken on the grill I reduced/boiled the marinade and poured it over some toast (rice would have been nice too). Ate it all with Ina Garten's roasted carrots, subbing white pepper for black (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-carrots-recipe/index.html). I can't remember a home-made meal this good!