Beer Pairing Recipes - Chicken Roulade

The last installment from the Beer Pairing dinner

Cherry Chicken Roulade

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 Cup Walnuts
1/4 Cup dried cherries
1/4 Cup frozen spinach (frozen pulses better in the food processor)
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 bottle Founders Cerise, or similar cherry flavored beer

This was one of the quickest dishes we came up with when planning the menu. Chris suggested we use the Cerise, then suggested cherries in the dish as a logical choice. I had some good walnuts on hand, he said spinach and it was born. For the filling, put the walnuts in a food processor and pulse 4-5 times. Add the cherries, pulse 4-5 times, then the spinach and pulse 4-5 more times. You want the texture to be smooth enough to hold together yet still have some texture from the fruit and nuts. Season up with salt and pepper and set aside.



Pound the chicken breasts down to about a quarter inch, maybe a little thicker if they are quite large. Put a spoonful of filling inside, roll, and secure with toothpicks or tie with kitchen string. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Heat the oven to 375. Heat the oil in an oven-safe pan that is large enough to hold all of the chicken over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the outside of the roulades for 2-3 minutes per side, just long enough to get some rich color on the chicken. Once all of the roulades have been seared, add them all back to the pan (don't worry about crowding at this point) and pour the beer to cover about 2/3 up the chicken. Cover and place in oven for 10 minutes. Turn chicken over, return to oven for 15 minutes more, or until chicken is done through.

Photo (and plating) by Chris Abend

This dish is fine as is, but if you wanted a sauce to serve over top, I'd remove the chicken to a plate and cover to keep it warm, then reduce the braising liquid over a hot flame. Finish it with a little cream and a little white pepper, and of course salt to taste.


Agave Glazed Parsnips

2-3 pounds parsnips

2 Tbsp Agave Syrup

3 Tbsp vegetable oil, separated

Parsnips don't get a lot of attention. A milder cousin to the carrot, they roast up just as tender and sweet with a lovely pale yellow color. 

Wash and peel parsnips, then cut into quarters. Cut the quarters into 2-3 pieces of equal length. Some will be thicker than others, but this adds to the texture of the dish. Mix the agave syrup with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and toss the parsnips to coat. Rub the remaining oil in a baking dish, and add the parsnips. If doing just the parsnips, roast in a 425 oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are tender yet firm and have a bit of caramelization on the outside. If cooking with the chicken, put in the oven at the same time as the chicken (at the same temp). When the chicken is done, put the parsnips under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to add some color.