Anne Willan

Coq à la Bière

Chicken with Beer

Preparation info
  • Serves

    4

    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in
top 1000French Regional Cooking
French Regional Cooking

By Anne Willan

Published 1981

  • About

Laced with beer and juniper eau-de-vie, this northern treatment of chicken is an interesting contrast to the more delicate ‘coq en pâte’ from Champagne. Gin with a few crushed juniper berries can be used instead of genièvre.

Ingredients

1.8–2 kg chicken or young cock

Method

Cut the chicken* in 8. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy, shallow casserole. Add the chicken pieces and brown them well. Lower the heat, add the shallots and cook 2 minutes until soft. Flame with the genièvre. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with flour; turn them over and cook 1 minute. Add the beer, mushrooms, bouquet garni, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 45 minutes until the