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Rich and cheesy sauce coats braised #chicken pieces in this French easy skillet chicken #dinner. Use chicken broth or braise the chicken breasts or thighs in light beer for an authentic taste tweak. Toss the pasta in the sauce then ladle more sauce on the chicken pieces for a satisfying quick meal.
Ingredients
2 large shallots, finely diced (or 1 large white onion – I happened to have half an onion left from the previous meal so I added it to the shallots)
2 oz. or 4 tablespoons of butter
8 organic bone-in chicken thighs or 6 large boneless breasts (pat dry with paper towels)
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
2 to 3 teaspoons of smoked paprika powder
7 oz. Stella Artois® beer (one bottle)
8 to 10 oz. of extra sharp cheddar, diced or coarsely cut (to melt more easily)
16 oz. of regular sour cream (not the light version)
Instructions
Chop the shallots (and/or onion) into fine dice.
Dry the chicken pieces on paper towels.
In a small bowl, mix the sour cream with the diced cheese.
Sauté The Shallots & Chicken
In a heavy skillet, over medium heat, melt half the butter. Add onions and sauté until they begin to take on color.
Sprinkle the shallots with the paprika powder and stir to combine well. Sauté a little longer but do not let the shallots burn.
When done, remove the shallots and set aside while you prepare the chicken pieces.
To the same pan, add a little butter and sauté the chicken pieces, skin side down (you can use skinless pieces as well). Season to taste and sauté until golden brown on one side.
Turn over the chicken, season to taste and fry the second side until golden brown.
Braise The Chicken
When the second side is nearly done, reduce the heat to LOW, add all chicken pieces (if you sautéed in batches), top with the sautéed shallots and pour 1/2 the beer evenly over the chicken.
Swirl around to distribute throughout. The beer will foam up so be careful not to pour it in the hot skillet too quickly.
Cover the skillet and braise the chicken for about 45 minutes. Check about 15 to 20 minutes in to see if you need to add a little more beer.
Remove from the skillet and set aside while you prepare the cheese sauce.
Make The Cheese Sauce
Technically, you could add the sour cream and cheese directly to the along with the chicken pieces but I find it easier to make a smooth sauce when the chicken is NOT in the pan. I used a whisk to make sure the sauce is smooth and lump free. For this recipe, the problem I had was two-fold – not enough sour cream and the cheese did not melt the way correctly as a result. All the flavor was there but the “richness” was cut in half! 🙂
Over low heat, add the sour cream and cheese mixture to the broth in the pan. Whisk into the beer broth until the cheese is melted and the sauce is thick and creamy.
You can put the chicken pieces back in the pan but I opted to serve the pasta (tossed in some of the cheese sauce), topped with a piece of chicken and then ladle more cheese sauce over the chicken.
Notes
Serve over pasta, rice or steamed baby potatoes. Or straight up with a side of veggies. Of course, this Easy Skillet Chicken Recipe pairs well with a glass of frosty Stella®!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 pieces
