Sometimes you enjoy a pint of your local beer so much you become inspired to make a dish with it. That is what happened to me. It was love at first sip with Great South Bay’s Blood Orange Pale Ale. I knew I was going to create a recipe using it, and immediately I thought of orange chicken. As you might have gathered from my last recipe, Blue Point Blueberry Muffins, I have an affinity for cooking with beer. Sometimes I have to think about what the beer wants to become, but this one was a dead giveaway.
I wanted to elevate this meal from what we already know it as (fried doughy chicken covered in sweet sauce resembling orange goop) into a healthier and more enjoyable family-style meal. So I decided to make this dish more like chicken piccata. The chicken cutlets are dredged in flour, salt and pepper then pan fried in just a little bit of olive oil. Then I took two cups of Great South Bay’s Blood Orange Pale Ale and a little bit of sugar and some freshly squeezed blood orange juice, reduced it to make a sauce. I paired the chicken with some simple lemon roasted potatoes to make this a complete meal. I bet you didn’t think beer could be so fancy? Think outside the pint glass!
Coming in the next issue of Edible Long Island: my article on some new all-women beer events coming your way with some craft beer girl power!
Sophia del Gigante blogs at ny-foodgasm.
Recipe for Blood Orange Pale Ale Chicken
For the chicken:
1.5 pounds chicken breast, sliced thin
1/2-cup flour with dash of salt and pepper
2 tablespoons light olive oil
Dredge chicken in seasoned flour. Heat olive oil in large skillet at medium high heat. Cook chicken about four minutes on each side.
For the Blood Orange Pale Ale Glaze
2 cups Great South Bay Blood Orange Pale Ale
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Juice of 1/2 blood orange
3 slices of a blood orange (save for garnish)
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Over medium heat reduce by a third.
For the potatoes:
5 yukon gold potatoes, cut into long slices
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Toss potatoes in seasonings, spread in a single layer in a roasting pan and roast at 400 degrees until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.
