Pat chicken thighs on both sides with a paper towel to dry. Season both sides with salt and black pepper and leave them skin side up until you’re ready to cook on a baking sheet.

Place the cut bacon into a large (preferably cast iron) skillet. Cook bacon over medium heat until crispy brown. Remove the cooked bacon and place aside on paper-towel lined plate.

Place chicken thighs, skin side down, into the skillet. Cook over medium heat until golden brown, approximately 7 minutes.

Flip the chicken and cook until golden brown, approximately 5 more minutes.

Remove the browned chicken from the pan and reserve on a plate.

Add shallots to the skillet and brown them gently on all sides, approximately 10 minutes.

Drain off the excess fat from your skillet. Add malt vinegar, and reduce by half approximately 1 minute or less. Scrape browned bits from bottom of your skillet with a wooden spoon, rubber spatula, or flat whisk.

Add both bottles of beer to the skillet and bring to a boil. Continue to scrape the browned bits from your pan.

Add the cooked bacon, chicken (skin side up), and 2 tsp of chopped thyme back into your skillet. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover, but leave the lid slightly askew to allow steam to escape. Continue to cook at a light simmer until the chicken thighs are cooked through, (20-25 minutes as the cooked chicken must reach 180°F on a meat thermometer for this method).

After the chicken is cooked, remove the lid, and serve 1-2 thighs per person with a generous ladle of bacon, onions, and the beer braising juices.