Maple Lager Chicken Ridge

Adapted: Foodnetwork.com

I had purchased a bunch of bone in chicken breasts which were on sale. I was really disappointed with them because these things were HUGE. I mean they were really, really large...the type of large that I would have hated to come across these chickens in a dark alley. I used the couple of packages that I had, but had one more to use up, so I went on a recipe search for something unusual. One can only have it fried, roasted or grilled so many times. When I saw this one had a mixture of lager and maple syrup, I became intrigued and it was the winner for the night. So, I set off to preparing it. I did do some moderations to this recipe.

A word of warning, so don't say I didn't give warning, this dish, while FANTASTIC, will produce some serious dirty dishes! All in all, it was well worth it and I would do it again, except maybe save it for a weekend meal! Another slight warning, this dish is pretty involved, so I am going to lay out the directions step by step by step.

My family enjoyed this recipe so much that I had little leftovers. This recipe was so special, it will definitely go on my "dishes to entertain with" list!

So, here we go!:

Ingredients:
1 12 ounce lager beer (I used Leinenkugal Red Lager)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 large onion, sliced
8 cloves garlic, chopped (I used 4 teaspoons divided of jarred garlic)
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1-2  tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon UNSALTED butter
Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 400.
2) In a bowl, whisk together the beer and maple syrup. Add the onion, 4 cloves chopped garlic (or 2 teaspoons jarred garlic) and 1 tablespoon driedrosemary to the beer mixture.  Season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan or 5 quart casserole. The recipe calls for a 2 quart casserole, but I would have liked to see that magic to have that all fit!

3) Arrange the chicken skin-side up on top and season with salt and pepper.

4) Cover the dish with foil and set it on a baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is just cooked through, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches 145, about 1 hour, check after 45 minutes.
5) In a small sauce pan, combine the olive oil with the remaining 4 cloves garlic (or 2 teaspoons jarred garlic) and 1 tablespoon dried rosemary in a small saucepan; warm over low heat until the garlic is soft and the oil becomes fragrant, about 15 minutes. WATCH CAREFULLY!!

6) When finished baking, remove chicken and onion to a plate. Pour the remaining cooking liquid into a sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat; cook until reduced by half. Whisk the flour into the liquid, followed by the butter. Add reserved onions. Season with salt and keep warm.

7) Heat grill over medium-high heat or start charcoal grill.
8) Brush some of the flavored oil over the chicken; place skin-side down on the grill  and cook until golden and crisp, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter.
9) Spoon the grilled onion and sauce on top of the chicken