Chicken In Creamy Beer Sauce

Ingredients

4 boneless chicken breasts
40 g (1 1/2 oz) butter (or margarine)
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 red pepper, de-seeded and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon flour
200 ml (7 fl oz) lager or pale ale
150 ml (1/4 pint) chicken stock
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons single cream
chopped parsley to garnish

Directions

Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make a total of 8 pieces, and season with salt and pepper. Heat butter or margarine and oil in a pan until melted, then fry the chicken for 3 – 4 minutes each side until golden brown. Remove from the pan. Fry the onion and pepper in the same fat until soft and lightly coloured. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then gradually add the lager and stock and bring up to the boil. Add thyme, sugar and seasonings. Replace the chicken and simmer for about 8-10 minutes until tender. Stir in the cream, adjust the seasonings and reheat gently. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

My Notes

I did not season with salt and pepper because nobody needs more salt in their diet, and I don’t like pepper.

I didn’t bother with the butter AND oil, because I am not a professional TV chef and I have no one to impress but my husband. Instead, I used 2 – 3 tablespoons of margerine and the world didn’t come to an end.

I think next time I will start browning the onions before I add the red peppers, as I prefer them more brown than frying them at the same time as the pepper allows for.

The beer used in this instance was Beck’s Vier.