Tara McPherson’s Delightfully Decadent Chicken

I met Tara McPherson after our big house move from Eh? to Be (or Not to Be … For awhile, I had cold feet about this wacky idea of moving). A few days after landing in our new home, Ron opened the front door to find a rabbit nonchalantly chewing the grass. The pickings were probably slim because the deer got there first. We love living in the country, but occasionally miss the city’s decadence. This chicken recipe makes up for it. 

Tara McPherson’s Delightfully Decadent Chicken:

Chicken breasts, as needed

Beer, as needed

More beer, as desired

Herbs and spices, as desired (see Note)

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Place breasts (ensure they’re the chicken’s - not yours) in lightly greased casserole dish. Pour beer at least halfway up breasts (same advice), unless you’re Tara’s husband, Geoff, who drinks some of beer in his role as quality control tester. Dust breasts (ditto) with herbs and spices. Cover and bake 35-to-60 min. (see Timing Note). Eat dinner. Lick fingers. Lick plate. 

Note: Tara seasons her chicken with tarragon, sage, rosemary and sea salt, so I did the same. 

Timing Note: I used a 12-oz. (355 mL) can of beer to cover four chicken breasts about 2/3 up. (I divided these breasts between two small casseroles, so I could freeze one for another day). Because using extra beer affects the cooking time, I let my/the chicken’s breasts cook about 1 hr., until they were fully poached and cooked right through. 

Lick-Lick-Lick Note: As Tara promised, this chicken is delicious!

I divided breasts between two small casseroles.

The chicken in each casserole got 1/2 can of beer.

After adding the herbs Tara recommends, I covered
and put each casserole into the oven.

And here’s the finished result!