Beer-Braised Chicken with Coconut Curry Wild Rice

Beer-Braised Chicken with Coconut Curry Wild Rice is a harmony of flavors that'll have you falling in love with every bite!

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 5

Servings servings

Calories 1228kcal

Author Julie Kotzbach

Ingredients

Coconut Curry Wild Rice:

14 ounce can coconut milk
14 ounce can coconut cream
Water
1 cup wild rice
1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable oil
2 large carrot diced
1 leek light green & white parts thinly sliced and rinsed
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional for heat
Salt & pepper to taste

Beer-Braised Chicken:

3 strips bacon
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
12 ounce bottle of beer either a golden larger or red ale works great
1 yellow onion peeled and rough chopped
2 parsnips peeled and rough chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup chicken stock
Fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions

Coconut Curry Wild Rice:

Combine the coconut milk, coconut cream, and enough cold water to equal a total of 4 cups of liquid. Pour the coconut mixture into a large pot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Add the wild rice to the pot. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
When 30 minutes is up, heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, leeks, ginger, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid from the rice and pour the vegetables into the liquid. Add the curry powder and stir to combine. Cover the pot again and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Beer-Braised Chicken:

Once you've added the vegetables to the rice, go ahead and start the chicken.
In a large pot, cook the back over medium-high heat until crispy on each side. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate. (That's all you're doing with the bacon, so you can treat yourself and eat it!)
Pour the flour onto a large plate and stir in the salt and pepper to season it. Dredge the chicken thighs in the flour and place in the pot.
Cook the chicken for 6 minutes on each side or until a nice sear forms.
Add the beer, onion, parsnips, mustard, brown sugar, and thyme to the pot and stir to combine. Add enough chicken stock to make sure the chicken is submerged. (I usually use about 1 cup of stock.)
Cover the pot and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the chicken from the braising liquid. Slice each thigh into strips.
Portion the coconut curry wild rice equally into 4 bowls. Place one chicken thigh on top of the curry rice in each bowl. Garnish with a sprig of fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.

Notes

I save myself time when making this dish by first starting the rice cooking and then prepping the rest of the ingredients.

If you don't want to cook the chicken in bacon fat, you can skip that step and use 2 tablespoons coconut oil or vegetable oil instead.

You don't need to cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. It is tender enough that you can cut it with the spoon you serve this dish with. But of course, you can cut your chicken smaller if you want.

Nutrition