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Creamy Beer Cheese Chicken With Crispy Bacon is ready in less than 20 minutes! Beer, cheddar cheese, pan fried chicken AND bacon? What's not to love!
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5 from 1 vote

Creamy Beer Cheese Chicken With Crispy Bacon

Creamy Beer Cheese Chicken With Crispy Bacon is ready in less than 20 minutes! Beer and cheddar cheese in a creamy sauce with bacon AND chicken? What's not to love! 
AN ORIGINAL CAFE DELITES RECIPE
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 489kcal
Author: Karina

Ingredients

Chicken:

  • 4 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 /2 cup (125 ml) lager
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Cracked pepper

Sauce:

  • 150 grams bacon, diced
  • 2 tablespoons butter, optional
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 1/4 cup milk (I use 2%, but you can use skim or full cream.)*
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) lager
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) good quality low sodium chicken stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • Dash of hot sauce
  • 2/3 cup shredded Cheddar, (add more to suit your tastes)
  • Salt and/or pepper to taste, if desired

Instructions

  • Combine lager, garlic, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Add in the chicken breasts, cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinade in the refrigerator for 2 hours if time allows, or over night for a deeper flavour.
  • When ready to cook, take out of the fridge for at least 20 minutes before cooking. Heat skillet or pan over medium - high heat. Drain chicken from marinade and fry breasts in a small amount of oil until golden browned on both sides and completely cooked through the centre (about 6-8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts). Fry in batches of two if you need to.
  • Transfer chicken to a warm plate.
  • In the same pan, cook bacon until crisp, (about 6 minutes). Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to let drain.
  • To the remaining bacon fat in the pan, add the onion and celery, and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. (If there is no remaining bacon fat, melt the butter in the pan instead). Then add garlic and cook until fragrant, (about 1 minute).
  • Pour in the beer and allow to reduce slightly (about 3-4 minutes).
  • Add in the flour and cook until golden, (about 3 minutes), then slowly add the stock, whisking until flour has combined with the liquid. Whisk in the the milk and let simmer, while whisking occasionally, until thickened.
  • Stir in Worcestershire sauce, stock powder, mustard and hot sauce.
  • Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Mix until cheese has melted, then stir in 3/4 of the crumbled bacon. Taste test and add any extra salt, pepper, cheddar or beer.
  • Arrange chicken back into the pan and allow to warm through. Garnish with chives or parsley and the remaining bacon.

Notes

*Substitute milk for heavy cream, reduced fat cream, half and half or evaporated milk. 
**If you don't have time to marinade your chicken, a good 20 minute soak is enough time for the beer mixture to absorb into the chicken. Just pierce your chicken pieces all over with the tip of a sharp knife and allow a good soak for as long as you can. If time DOES allow, then try to let it sit over night in the beer marinade.

Nutrition

Calories: 489kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 140mg | Sodium: 1359mg | Potassium: 705mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 535IU | Vitamin C: 5.1mg | Calcium: 244mg | Iron: 1mg