'Cause we had the beer...

There was chicken, there was beer, and not much else. That's ok though, becuase beer just happens to be a brilliant cooking medium! Not only does it make for tasty foods, there is hardly a protein I can think of that it doesn't enhance. All manner of poultry likes being cooked in beer, although to be fair, I've never tried duck cooked in beer - maybe next time. Shrimp is especially happy when boiled in the stuff, and a beef stew begs for a dark lager.

So when faced with a fridge that has some chicken and beer in it, don't sigh and order a pizza, give this a shot instead. I served it with yellow rice and I can't tell you how truly satisfying and yummy it was.

Beer-Poached Salsa Fresca Chicken

For Salsa Fresca: (do this first and let sit so that the flavors meld)
3 large slicing tomatoes
1/2 large white onion
1 bunch cilantro
1 Poblano chili
1 tbs hot sauce
Juice of 2 limes
Salt to taste

-Cut chili in half, remove seeds and stem. Over your stove-top's burner, place half of the chili and let each side char, about 3 minutes per side. Set aside and let cool. (You can also broil them for a few minutes, flipping them half way through cooking as well)
-Dice tomatoes. Finely dice onions and chili, place in bowl. Chop cilantro finely, add. Add lime juice, hot sauce, and salt to taste. Mix well and let sit.

For Chicken:
Light colored beer (we had Corona)
Skinless chicken breasts (we had boneless, but bone in would be fine too - also, doesn't have to be white meat)
2 dry bay leaves
1 whole lime

-Pour beer into pot and let sit for five or so minutes to let the beer flatten slightly. If you boil the beer fresh from the bottle, it can bubble over. (If you don't have or don't want to use beer, use broth instead).
-Cut lime in half and add entire fruit to pot. Add bay leaves.
-Bring to boil, add chicken, and let poach until cooked through.

-Slice up the meat (it might have to be lightly salted depending on the beer) and cover in the salsa fresca, serve room temperature.