Chicken Stout Stew

In a shallow bowl, whisk together 6 tablespoons flour with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Dredge chicken thighs into the flour and set aside.

Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add half of the dredged chicken thighs, cooking until browned, 2-4 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and put into a slow cooker. Add in remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and cook the remaining half of the chicken thighs. Place into the slow cooker.

Add chopped bacon to skillet and allow to brown until cooked. With bacon still in the pan, cover with the remaining 1/2 cup of flour and stir frequently until all the oil is absorbed. Pour the stout beer over the flour/bacon mixture and stir any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow to reach a slight boil.
Pour beer/bacon mixture over the chicken thighs in the slow cooker.

Add diced carrots, halved mushrooms, onion, garlic and thyme, distributing evenly over the chicken. Pour broth over the top.

Cover and cook until the chicken falls apart, 4 hours on High or 7 to 8 hours on Low. Season with the remaining salt and pepper.