It never fails that when we have a dinner party we end up with several stray beers in our fridge. We buy some, the guest bring some. No one six pack ever gets finished. So, we inevitably have a smorgasbord of barley and hops taking up valuable real estate in the icebox. As such, I am always on the look out for a new recipe that helps me get rid of a bottle and free up some space for something more important.
Lucky for me my carnivore hubby is always up for grilling some sort of meat marinated in beer. I came across just such a thing in his favorite cookbook, Weber’s Real Grilling. I adjusted it just a bit (as usual).
You can probably get your carnivore to down another beer while he grills, and maybe one more at the table. And hey – just like that – three less beers in the fridge. What do you know? There may just be room for dessert after all! 
BBQ Beer Chicken
- Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Marinate chicken thighs in beer for tender, flavorful meat — and to clear out leftover beer from your fridge.
Ingredients
- 4 organic chicken thighs
- 1/2 bottle of beer, preferably lager
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1 tsp of worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp of tobasco sauce
- 1 tsp of dijon mustard
- 1 tblsp of olive oil
- kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start by combining the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl.
- (Optional) Drink the rest of the beer. Waste not, want not, right?
- Salt and pepper the chicken thighs.
- Place them in a large plastic storage bag.
- Add in the marinade.
- Place in fridge for six to eight hours, turning at least once.
- Remove them from the marinade and pat dry.
- Grill over direct medium heat, skin side first, for about twenty minutes, turning about every five minutes.
Notes
- marinating will take 6-8 hours
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: BBQ
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken thigh
- Calories: 310
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Beer-Marinated Grilled Parmesan Pork Loin
- Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Creamy Polenta
- Greek Chicken Avgolemono
- Oven-Baked BBQ Short Ribs
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does marinating take 6-8 hours — can I shorten it?
The recipe and notes both specify 6-8 hours of marinating time (turning the chicken thighs at least once) for the beer, garlic, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and Dijon to penetrate the meat. No shorter option is given, so plan to start the marinade the morning of or the night before.
Does the type of beer matter?
The recipe calls for half a bottle of lager specifically. Lager has a mild, clean flavor that won’t overpower the Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce in the marinade; a dark stout or heavily hopped IPA would introduce bitterness that could compete with the other flavors.
I personally feel that beer lends the perfect finish to almost any meal. The same can be said for BBQ Marinade too. Simply lip-smacking. Can’t wait to try it out. Thanks for this post. Keep us updated with new recipes which go well beer.
I love beer marinade, this is great!
We always marinate our steak in beer. They are so tender. Thanks for the recipe.