RecipeTin Eats’ Irish chicken stew has a magic ingredient that speeds things up without sacrificing flavour

Name: RecipeTin Eats’ Irish chicken stew has a magic ingredient that speeds things up without sacrificing flavour
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients: 4 bone-in chicken thighs; 4 chicken drumsticks; 1 tsp cooking salt; 1 ½ tsp black pepper; 50g butter unsalted; 1 onion, halved, cut into 1cm thick wedges; 350g button mushrooms, halved; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 3 thyme sprigs; 375ml (1½ cups) Guinness beer – see note; 3 tbsp flour; 750ml (3 cups) beef stock; mashed potato, to serve

A couple of glasses of Ireland’s finest adds richness and deep colour to this cosy stew.

RecipeTin Eats

May 23, 2023

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4

A stew you can make with just 30 minutes of simmering that tastes like you’ve been cooking all day? Thank you, Mr Guinness! This is essentially everybody’s favourite Irish Guinness stew, except I’ve switched beef for more economical bone-in chicken pieces. I love the good hit of black pepper in this. Serve over mash for a perfect cosy autumn dinner.

The SOS checklist

Fewer than 12 ingredients (excluding oil, salt, pepper and water) ✓

Ingredients

4 bone-in chicken thighs
4 chicken drumsticks
1 tsp cooking salt
1 ½ tsp black pepper
50g butter unsalted
1 onion, halved, cut into 1cm thick wedges
350g button mushrooms, halved
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 thyme sprigs
375ml (1½ cups) Guinness beer – see note
3 tbsp flour
750ml (3 cups) beef stock
mashed potato, to serve

Method

Step 1
Sprinkle the chicken all over with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Step 2
Melt the butter in a large (about 30cm) frying pan over medium-high heat until foaming. Place the chicken in the pan, skin side down, and cook for 5 minutes, or until golden. Turn and cook the other side for 1 minute. (Do the best you can browning the drumsticks; it’s a bit hard because of the shape.) If your frying pan is not big enough to contain the chicken pieces in a single layer, brown in 2 batches, then remove to a plate.
Step 3
The butter in the pan is now browned, which means extra flavour in the sauce. Add the onion and cook for 1 minute. Then add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, until light golden. Stir in the garlic and thyme for the last 30 seconds.
Step 4
Add the Guinness, turn the heat to high, and simmer until reduced by 75 per cent – about 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the cooking power of your stove and how well your pan conducts heat. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute, then add the beef stock and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, stirring to combine. Return the chicken to the sauce and bring to a simmer, reducing the heat to medium so it’s simmering gently, and cook for 30 minutes. Stir around the chicken now and then to ensure the base isn’t catching. The chicken’s internal temperature should be 72C or slightly higher, and the sauce should have thickened into a gravy.
Step 5
Divide chicken and gravy among 4 plates, served over mash.

Dark beer is a shortcut to rich colour and flavour in this quick-cooked stew.iStock

Notes

Guinness is the magic ingredient that makes the sauce rich and deep brown with just 30 minutes of cooking time. Substitute with stout or another dark beer, or 2 cups of dry red wine.
For a non-alcoholic substitute, add 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce. It’s essentially a mushroom gravy – still an excellent quick stew!