Fall Recipes: Bam chicken with Riesling sauce from Bowers Harbor Inn

 Photos courtesty of williamsonphotography.com

Chef Paul Olson, of Bowers Harbor Inn, says that “The Fall for me is about comfort foods. This recipe fits that bill. With the Bam Chicken recipe, we wanted to incorporate the beer that we are brewing on site into dishes on the Jolly Pumpkin and Bowers menus. We started putting beer in everything, some recipes were good and others were not so good. Chicken marinating in beer is actually very good. You just can't over marinate it.

The Riesling sauce is a no brainer. Michigan has some awesome wines and excels in the Riesling variety. This sauce is rich without adding too much butter or cream and goes well with the beer marinade. We use Riesling from Bowers Harbor Vineyard, which is a driver, eight iron away.”

Bam chicken with Riesling sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 3½ lb. free range local chicken
• 1 recipe Jolly Pumpkin bam bier marinade
• 1 recipe Riesling sauce

Bam bier marinade ingredients

• 12 oz Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
• 3 cloves fresh garlic minced
• 2 shallots minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper

Method:
Combine all ingredients with whip or puree in a blender (30 seconds)

Riesling sauce

• 1 Spanish (white) onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 sprig rosemary (wash and pick off leaves and chop)
• 1 sprig fresh thyme (wash and pick off leaves)
• 1 cup Michigan Riesling wine
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 6 oz chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp butter

Method

Sauté onions in 1 tbsp butter over medium heat, until soft. Add herbs, wine and stock and reduce until only a little liquid remains. Let cool 10 minutes and puree in blender or food processor. Whisk in remaining butter, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. keep warm on back of stove until ready to use.

Bam Bier Chicken
Marinate 1 whole chicken in a large ziplock bag with Bam marinade for 6-10 hours. Preheat oven to 425. Discard and wipe off marinade, and season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Place chicken in roasting pan and tuck wings back and tie legs together with butchers twine. Use a roasting rack if available.

Roast chicken for 40-50 minutes until internal thigh temperature is 160-165. Chicken is done when the juices are clear. Allow bird to rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve with warm Riesling sauce and a crusty baguette.

Bowers Harbor Inn
13512 Peninsula Dr
Traverse City, MI 49686-9717
(231) 223-4222
• See Chef Paul Olson’s recipe for Butternut Squash Soup
• See Chef Paul Olson’s recipe for Cabernet Franc Short Ribs
• See Chef Don Yamauchi's recipe for Pumpkin Wontons
• See award-winning Michigan Cabernet Franc

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