Cooking with Key Lime Pie Pale Ale

Beer Battered Chicken Nuggets with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

Guest post by Alexa Blay of Key to My Lime, sponsored by Muskoka Brewery. See original article. These beer battered chicken tenders are perfectly crispy and are so delicious! This stovetop beer battered chicken recipe is made without eggs. This recipe is truly phenomenal. It’s incredibly easy and has the most mouthwatering flavor. I’ve made it several times now and it is definitely going to be on constant rotation for us in the future. I love serving these chicken nuggets with some yellow mustard, a bit of ketchup, and with my Creamy Chipotle Sauce. The flavor combos are seriously just the best. I especially like pairing this chicken with Creamy Chipotle Sauce because the lime flavor in Muskoka Brewery’s Key Lime Pie Pale Ale complements the chipotle flavor so well. In fact, they pair so well, that most times I make this I decide to go all out and make some epic chicken tacos. Add a little crumbly cheese, cilantro, jalapeno, and some corn tortillas to this lime beer battered chicken and you’ve got the makings for the best tacos of your life! If you’ve never tried Muskoka Brewery’s Key Lime Pie Pale Ale before, I 100% recommend it for this recipe! You can find it at LCBO. Beer Battered Chicken The most important part of this recipe is paying close attention to temperatures. Specifically, use very cold beer. The key to this recipe is taking the batter from very cold (from the cold beer) to very hot (from the preheated skillet) very quickly. That’s how you get a crispy exterior, fluffy coating, and juicy interior. Beer Batter Recipe To make this batter you’ll use:

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of cold beer
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

This is a very versatile beer batter recipe that is naturally egg-free. There are only a couple of ratios to keep in mind if you need to change the amounts. First, use equal parts beer and flour. Second, use roughly one teaspoon of baking powder per cup of flour. You can also omit the baking powder if you’re using self-rising flour. Third, there aren’t any steadfast rules about the salt and pepper amounts, just add them to taste. Reheating Instructions You can reheat these leftovers in a 350F oven for 10 minutes (or until they’re warmed through). I recommend reheating them on a silicone mat baking sheet because it will make them the crispiest. Beer Battered Chicken Tacos: To create the tacos in the photos, start by warming up small corn tortillas. Layer those with finely shredded cabbage, Beer Battered Chicken, sliced red onion, diced cilantro, crumbled feta, and finish the tacos with a drizzle of the Creamy Chipotle Sauce. What You’ll Need To make this recipe successfully, you’ll need a few tools. The first is a good sharp knife. If you have a knife sharpener, I definitely recommend sharpening your knife before cutting the chicken. Second, the whole recipe is much tidier if you wrap the chicken in saran wrap. Third, a meat mallet is the best tool for pounding the chicken to the perfect thickness (but a wine bottle or a cast iron skillet will work in a pinch). Finally, you MUST use a large heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet for this recipe. If you don’t use a nonstick skillet, you’ll need to add a lot more oil to the pan to cook the chicken. Recipe Card: Makes: 8 servings (about 32 pieces) Time: Prep - 10 Minutes, Cook - 12 Minutes, Total - 22 Minutes INGREDIENTS Beer Battered Chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup cold Muskoka Key Lime Pie Pale Ale
• 1/2 cup flour
• 6 tablespoons neutral oil (3 tablespoons per chicken breast)

Creamy Chipotle Sauce:

• 1 1/4 cups 2% plain Greek yogurt
• 1 roasted and cooled pimento pepper (seeds removed, I use a canned pepper)
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1 medium clove garlic
• Juice of 1 lime (about 2 1/2 Tablespoons)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (or to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS Beer Battered Chicken: Wash and thoroughly dry the chicken breasts. Place one breast on a cutting board. Using the palm of your non-cutting hand, press down on the chicken breast to hold it firmly in place. Starting with the thick long side of the breast, use a sharp knife to cut horizontally through the breast to cut it in half. Cut each half into 1” wide strips (a total of 2 - 3 depending on the size of the breast). Cut each strip into 1 ½” - 2” pieces (about 2 - 4 pieces per strip). Repeat with the second chicken breast. Wrap the chicken in a single layer in saran wrap, and pound with a meat mallet. You don’t need to pound it too much, just enough to get the chicken to an even thickness of ¼” throughout. In a medium bowl whisk 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper together. Add in the cold beer and stir until just mixed (there should still be some visible lumps). Dredge each piece of the chicken breast in the remaining flour and gently shake to remove any excess flour. Then dip each piece of chicken in beer batter mixture. There will be enough batter if you do a thin layer of batter, but if you want a thick layer you may have to make more. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 3 Tablespoons of oil to the pan once it’s heated. Add half of the coated chicken pieces to the pan. Make sure to add each piece directly to a spot that has visible oil (you may have to keep swirling the oil around the pan to do this for each piece). Don’t crowd the skillet. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to cook the chicken in more than two rounds. Cook the chicken for 3 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the batter is a golden brown. Remove the chicken from the heat and place the pieces on a paper towel lined plate or cooling rack. Immediately sprinkle with a little bit of salt. Creamy Chipotle Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until completely smooth. This sauce will be runny at first, but it will thicken some as it rests in the refrigerator. Notes: Use very cold beer. The key to this recipe is taking the batter from very cold (from the cold beer) to very hot (from the preheated skillet) very quickly. That’s how you get a crispy exterior, fluffy coating, and juicy interior. If the batter looks a little too thin, you can add in up to ¼ cup more flour. To create the tacos in the photos, start by warming up small corn tortillas. Layer those with finely shredded cabbage, Beer Battered Chicken, sliced red onion, diced cilantro, crumbled feta, and finish the tacos with a drizzle of the Creamy Chipotle Sauce. If you try this recipe, please let me know what you thought in the comments or on Instagram! @keytomylime Be sure to pin this recipe for later! The next time you’re looking for an amazing weeknight dinner or delicious appetizer for a party, try making this beer battered chicken.