Frango com Cerveja Rápido
Frango com Cerveja Rápido·(fran-goo kohn ser-vay-zhah rah-pee-doo)
Comida de Comer Chorando
Walk into any Portuguese kitchen on a random Tuesday night, and there is a high probability you will smell this working-parent miracle meal simmering away on the stove. While an entire generation eventually turned to processed onion soup packets for a weeknight shortcut, the true tavern-style secret lies in melting down fresh onions and fiercely boiling cheap, crisp lager to kill the bitter hops before the braise. It is unpretentious stovetop alchemy that yields a velvety, savory gravy so good you will want to eat it with a spoon.
Before you start
Remove the chicken skin but leave the bones.
While some roasted dishes demand skin-on chicken, simmering skin-on chicken in beer results in flabby skin and a greasy sauce. Removing the skin, but keeping the bone, yields the essential rich gelatin necessary for a silky gravy.
Ingredients
- bone-in skinless chicken thighs and drumsticks2 1/2 lb
- kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- white pepper1/2 tsp
- sweet paprika1 tbsp
- olive oil2 tbsp
- yellow onion1 large
- garlic4 large cloves
- dried bay leaf1 med
- pale lager beer12 oz
- heavy whipping cream1/4 cup
- fresh parsley2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Season and sear the chicken until deeply browned.
Season the chicken evenly with the salt, white pepper, and sweet paprika. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the chicken in a single layer, and sear for 4 to 5 minutes per side until a deep golden-brown crust forms. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- 02
Build the savory flavor base with onions and aromatics.
Lower the heat to medium, add the sliced onion and bay leaf to the leftover chicken drippings, and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan until the onions are deeply softened and golden. Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
- 03
Boil the beer completely uncovered to eliminate bitterness.
Nestle the chicken pieces and any resting juices back into the pot and pour in the entire bottle of beer. Turn the heat to medium-high and let it boil vigorously, completely uncovered, for 5 minutes to cook off the alcohol and prevent a bitter sauce.
- 04
Cover and gently braise until the meat yields to the bone.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot tightly with a lid, and simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken becomes incredibly tender.
- 05
Finish the gravy off the heat with heavy cream.
Remove the lid and, if the sauce looks thin, bubble it uncovered for a few minutes to reduce. Turn off the heat entirely, stir in the heavy cream until the sauce turns a velvety golden-brown, then taste for salt, discard the bay leaf, and serve immediately garnished with fresh parsley.
Notes
Choose a cheap, crisp pale lager.
Avoid IPAs, dark stouts, or heavily hopped craft beers at all costs, as they will turn aggressively bitter when reduced. A simple, unpretentious macro-lager like Miller High Life, Modelo Especial, or Pilsner Urquell flawlessly mimics the crisp maltiness of a Portuguese Super Bock.
Serve with something to soak up the sauce.
The gravy is the undisputed star of this dish; plain white rice or crispy homemade french fries are the canonical Portuguese vehicles for ensuring none of it goes to waste.