Creamy Beer Cheese Chicken With Crispy Bacon (No Heavy Cream) (2024)

Author: Karina

Creamy Beer Cheese Chicken With Crispy Baconis ready in less than 20 minutes! Beer and cheddar cheese in acreamy sauce with bacon AND chicken? What's not to love!

AN ORIGINAL CAFE DELITES RECIPE

5 from 1 vote

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Chicken:

• ▢ 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts large
• ▢ 1 /2 cup lager
• ▢ 2 teaspoons garlic minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 pinch cracked pepper

Sauce:

• ▢ 150 grams bacon diced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter optional
• ▢ 1 onion large, diced
• ▢ 1 stalk celery finely chopped
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons flour
• ▢ 1 ¼ cup milk I use 2%, but you can use skim or full cream
• ▢ ½ cup lager
• ▢ ½ cup low sodium chicken stock good quality
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 dash hot sauce
• ▢ ⅔ cup shredded cheddar (add more to suit your tastes)
• ▢ 1 pinch salt to taste, if desired
• ▢ 1 pinch pepper to taste, if desired

• 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 ¾ 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.

*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.