After immediately receiving a bottle of Twisted Pine Brewing Company‘s beer Billy’s Chilies – from their Timberline Series – one thing on my mind… to cook with it. Don’t get me wrong. It is an interesting and novel beer. Of all the fruit and vegetable beers out there, this is one of the more impressive. The very real flavor and heat of the 5 different varieties of chilies (Anaheim, Fresno, Serrano, Jalapeño and Habanero) really comes through in this medium bodied, wheat based lager. I can’t imaging sitting down and putting away more than one bottle in a sitting. Like many beers of this ilk, upon taking a sip, you are pining for some of the very food the beer is made with…
Here’s my recipe for Billy’s Chilies Chicken Tacos
Ingredients:
-1.5 lbs of chicken (I use bone-in, skin-on for maximum flavor)
-1 Jalapeño, diced
-Half a red onion, minced
-Small 8 oz can of salsa verde
-Fresh corn tortillas
Garnish:
-Sliced red cabbage
-Cotija cheese
-Chopped Cilantro
-Salsa
Preparation:
1. Braise your chicken until brown in a little olive oil. Depending on the cut of your chicken, you’ll have fat. Drain 75 percent of it.
2. Remove from heat and begin to scrape all those brown bits in the pan in the remaining oil/fat.
3. Remove the skin from the thighs (if that’s the cut you got).
4. Add onions and jalapeño, sauté over med-high heat until soft.
5. Add skinless chicken and add about 8 ounces of beer (drink the other 4 ounces and say a prayer to some unknown Mayan or Aztec god to bless your tacos).
6. Stick your nose down close to the pan and smell the beauty of your creation.
7. Add 4 ounces of the salsa verde, a little water to cover the chicken, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
8. Pull the chicken from the bone while still in the pan.
9. Add remainder of salsa verde and simmer for a for additional minutes.
10. Spoon over fresh, corn tortillas. Top with shredded red cabbage, chopped cilantro and cotija cheese.