Our epic Grilled Bourbon Chicken is made with less than 10 real, simple ingredients! Packed with all the best flavor. Perfect for an easy dinner on those busy weeknights!
The Best Bourbon Chicken Recipe
For many years, we have enjoyed a delicious bourbon chicken at the mall food court and we knew that it was time to fire up the gas grill and make our own homemade bourbon chicken recipe! After testing this chicken recipe a few times, we are so happy with how easy and delicious it is to make right in our own kitchen. Definitely a new family favorite recipe for the summer!
Looking for More Delicious Recipes?
Then you definitely need to try our Grilled Jalapeño Popper Chicken!
What You Will Need
- real bourbon – just use your favorite bourbon whiskey from your local liquor store.
- light brown sugar – a key ingredient added for that touch of sweetness that we know and love from this easy recipe.
- soy sauce – option to sub with tamari or coconut aminos to be gluten-free and keep that umami flavor.
- fresh garlic – everything is always better with some garlic cloves in the mix.
- worcestershire sauce – a little bit for the best flavor in this flavorful sauce!
- lemon juice – just a splash of acidity to amplify all those great flavors.
- boneless skinless chicken thighs – highly recommend this cut of chicken!
- water + corn starch – whisk together to help thicken up that bourbon chicken sauce.
How To Make Bourbon Chicken
The first steps to making this classic comfort food are to gather the sauce ingredients. Whisk them together in a small saucepan.
Put the chicken thighs in a large bowl and pour about 1/3 of the sauce over the top to marinate the chicken for about 30 minutes.
Put the marinated chicken thighs directly on the hot grill to cook for about 3-4 minutes per side or until their internal temperature reaches 162 degrees F. Discard the marinade. Once fully cooked, let the tender chicken thighs sit on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes to rest.
While the chicken is cooking, bring the remaining sauce to a medium high heat on the stovetop and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until it reduces by about half. Option to thin sauce with a splash of water, if needed.
What Goes Well With Bourbon Chicken?
We chose to serve our simple bourbon chicken with some fluffy white rice (or brown rice), grilled asparagus, and a generous drizzle of that bourbon sauce on top! Feel free to garnish with some green onions, sesame seeds, and/or crushed red pepper flakes, if you want a little kick of heat. A side of grilled broccoli, steamed green beans, or air fryer broccolini would also be great side dishes!
Storage
Leftover bourbon chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. We would recommend adding a little leftover sauce in with the chicken and the rest in a separate container for an easier process to reheat and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
- Can children eat bourbon chicken? Yes, this is a recipe that the whole family can enjoy. The alcohol used will be cooked off as it all cooks and is considered generally safe for children to eat.
- What is bourbon chicken sauce made of? This traditional sauce is made of bourbon, brown sugar, and soy sauce. We added a little garlic, worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice for more depth of flavor.
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Chicken Recipes You Might Like
Grilled Bourbon Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Grill + Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our absolutely delicious Grilled Bourbon Chicken recipe is packed with flavor and perfect for serving up with any side dish!
Ingredients
Sauce + Marinade:
- 3/4 cup bourbon
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Chicken:
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Cornstarch Slurry:
- 4 tablespoons cold water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Serving:
- cooked rice of your choice
- grilled asparagus
Instructions
- Combine Sauce + Marinade Ingredients: Put all of these ingredients in a medium saucepan and mix to combine.
- Marinate Chicken: Place chicken thighs in a large bowl, baking dish, or storage bag. Pour approx. 1/3 of the sauce/marinade mixture over the chicken and let marinate for about 30 minutes.
- Simmer: Leave the rest of the sauce in the pan and simmer over medium heat on the stove for about 10 minutes or until it reduces by half.
- Add Slurry: Put the 4 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk to combine. Gradually pour into the simmering sauce and whisk again. Simmer until it reaches your desired thickness. NOTE: the sauce will also thicken a bit as it cools.
- Grill Chicken: Bring an outdoor grill to a medium-high heat and make sure the grill grates are clean. Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing any excess liquid to drip off. Place marinated chicken thighs directly on the hot grill grates and let cook for about 3-4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat reaches 165 degrees F (use a meat thermometer).
- Rest + Serve: Let the chicken rest on a plate or cutting board for about 5-10 minutes. Then enjoy immediately over rice + grilled asparagus or your favorite sides and some of the thickened sauce drizzled on top!
Notes
- Bourbon: option to add a splash of bourbon to the sauce right before serving, if you want to amp up the bourbon flavor.
- Chicken: feel free to use chicken breasts instead of thighs, but you will need to adjust the cook time accordingly.
- Serving Suggestion: we love to enjoy this bourbon chicken with some cooked rice and grilled asparagus!
- Nutrition Info is only for the bourbon chicken with sauce, not the items listed as Serving Suggestion.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 388
- Sugar: 26.3 g
- Sodium: 1015.5 mg
- Fat: 6.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.7 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 31.9 g
- Cholesterol: 140.1 mg
Beth S. says
Oh my! This dish was wonderful! The Bourbon sauce was amazing. I served it with roasted broccoli since my husband is not a fan of asparagus. I also used chicken breasts, as we prefer them. It was delicious! I will be making this again soon. Thank you for the recipe!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Beth!! Thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review – I really appreciate it!
Stefanie T says
Delicious!! The bourbon sauce was easy to make, and it was sooo good! I smoked chicken thighs on the Traeger with a side of broccolini. Even my picky mother loved it. Thank you Erin!
Erin says
Yay! So happy to hear that, Stefanie!