If you love sweet, savory, slightly smoky chicken, this Grilled Bourbon Chicken Dish is a must-try. Tender chicken thighs grilled and then cooked in a bourbon-infused sauce is the perfect homemade version of a classic mall food court meal, but better.
The bourbon adds a subtle smoky, oaky flavor while the brown sugar helps create those deliciously charred edges on the grill. Similar bourbon chicken recipes often pair bourbon with soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic, but grilling the chicken gives this version an extra layer of backyard BBQ flavor.
Looking for more delicious chicken recipes, then try my Chopped Spicy Chicken Sandwich, these sweet and savory Huli Huli Chicken Skewers, or this tender and juicy Grilled Citrus Chicken.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There are plenty of reasons to fire up the grill for this recipe:
- Nostalgic food court meal made at home with simple ingredients.
- Sweet and savory homemade marinade.
- Juicy, tender grilled chicken.
- Delicious caramelized edges.
- Easy to prepare ahead of time.
- Perfect for chicken breasts or thighs.
- Great for backyard BBQs and summer grilling.
- Delicious served with rice, vegetables, or potatoes.
Ingredients Needed to Make Grilled Bourbon Chicken Dish
- Chicken thighs: I recommend boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they stay juicy over the high heat of the grill and have plenty of flavor. Chicken breasts work just as well if you prefer white meat.
- Bourbon: the star of the sauce. It brings a warm savory flavors without overpowering the all the ingredients.
- Brown sugar: brings sweetness to the sauce and helps create those beautiful caramelized edges as the chicken hits the hot grill.
- Soy sauce: provides the salty, savory foundation for the sauce. It also helps balance the sweetness of the brown sugar and bourbon.
- Hoisin sauce: this thick sauce prominent in Cantonese recipes adds sweet, salty, and savory flavors with a rich umami depth.
- Ketchup: good thick foundation for any sauce.
- Ginger: I recommend using ginger paste as it blends smoothly into the sauce. Ginger adds a bright citrus sweetness that helps breakup all the rich savory and sweet flavors.
- Garlic: I recommend using garlic paste as it blends smoothly into the sauce.
- Seasoning: an all purpose rub to tie everything together.
Prep the Chicken
This Grilled Bourbon Chicken recipe uses simple ingredients. Grilled over direct heat, the meal comes together within 20 minutes making it the perfect weeknight dinner option.
For this recipe, I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I prefer using thighs because they are more flavorful and fatty. If you prefer a leaner cut, chicken breast will work here as well.
For the chicken I used Dad’s All Purpose seasoning. It’s the perfect all around seasoning that includes salt, pepper, paprika and garlic. Let the seasoned thighs sweat while you prep the sauce.
Dad’s Seasonings
Must have grillin seasonings!
How to Grill the Perfect Bourbon Chicken
As I mentioned before, this Grilled Bourbon Chicken dish comes together in minutes. Grilled over high direct heat, the edges of the chicken develop a beautiful sear, but the sauce thickens and caramelized the protein.
First preheat the grill to high direct heat around 400 degrees Fahrenheit. My favorite way of grilling chicken is over charcoal.
Place the seasoned chicken thighs directly on the grates and cooking for 2 minutes before flipping. Continue these steps until the internal temperature of the grilled chicken reaches 170 degrees. Yes, that’s higher than the 165 F expected of chicken, but thighs are fattier and need more time for the fat to render down. Trust me, you will not over cook the thighs.
Remove the grilled thighs from the grill and let them rest while to prep and cook the Bourbon sauce.
How to make a Bourbon sauce on the grill
This bourbon sauce is incredibly easy to make. It has the nostalgic savory and caramelized sweet flavors as the classic meal you remember from those childhood years hanging out at the mall with your friends.
In a sauce pan or cast iron skillet, add bourbon of choice, brown sugar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, garlic and ginger paste, apple cider vinegar and ketchup. Whisk the ingredients together. One additional ingredient, which is optional, is msg. I like adding it to my Asian inspired dishes but it’s not required. It adds that classic flavor you expect from an Asian inspired recipe.
Next add the slurry. This is an equal parts mix of corn starch and water. A small amount goes a long way. Tablespoon each is all you need. The slurry will help thicken the sauce.
Once the sauce is a nice medium thick consistency, chop up the grilled chicken thighs and mix it in with the sauce.
Time to Assemble the Grilled Bourbon Chicken Dish
Now that you have all the components cooked for the Grilled Bourbon Chicken Dish, it’s time to plate and serve.
The classic meal is served over some white rice, which is how I like to enjoy mine. Top with some chopped green onions and dig in.
Steamed cabbage is a great side dish usually served with this meal. Try to viral carrot salad for some crunch or cook noodles for a lo mein option instead of rice.
Which ever way you enjoy this Grilled Bourbon Chicken recipe, I know you will like it as much as I did.
Got any Leftovers?
If you have leftovers, don’t just reheat them and serve the same meal again.
Slice the chicken and use it for:
- Bourbon chicken sandwiches
- Chicken tacos
- Salads
- Quesadillas
- Wraps
- Meal prep bowls
- Loaded fries
- Chicken fried rice
Final Thoughts
This Grilled Bourbon Chicken dish takes all the flavors people love about bourbon chicken and brings them straight to the backyard grill. The combination of bourbon, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and hoisin sauce creates a sauce that’s sweet, savory, and packed with flavor, while the hot grill adds those irresistible caramelized edges and smoky char.
It’s an easy recipe that works just as well for a weeknight dinner as it does for a summer BBQ. Serve it over rice with grilled vegetables, slice it into sandwiches, or make a big batch for your next backyard gathering. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I make this recipe on a griddle? Yes! A flat-top griddle is an excellent way to cook bourbon chicken. Start by searing the chicken thighs on the hot griddle. Heat up the sauce directly on the flat top in a cast iron skillet. Chop up the the chicken and pour the bourbon sauce over it. Mix and serve.
Does bourbon chicken taste strongly like alcohol? No. The bourbon adds flavor more than a strong alcohol taste. As the sauce cooks, much of the alcohol evaporates, leaving behind the bourbon’s sweet, oaky character.
If you tried this Chopped Spicy Chicken Sandwich or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments. I love hearing from you!
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Grilled Bourbon Chicken Dish
This classic Food Court Grilled Bourbon Chicken Dish is the most delicious sweet and sticky recipe served with rice.
Course lunch, dinner, barbecue, main
Cuisine Chinese, American, Asian, Fusion
Keyword comfort food, grilled bourbon chicken dish, food court food, asian mall food, griled chicken thighs, bourbon sauce, dinner, rice, weeknight dinner, fast and easy recipe, grillin with dad recipes., sweet and sticky, easy weeknight meal, sticky chicken
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes minutes
Servings 4 People
Calories 829kcal
Chicken Ingredients
- 2 lbs Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 4 tbsp All purpose seasoning
- 2 cups White rice - uncooked
Bourbon Sauce Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Bourbon
- 1/3 cup Soy sauce
- 1/3 cup Brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 tbsp Hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp Ketchup
- 1 tbsp Grated ginger
- 1 tbsp Grated garlic
- 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Corn starch dissolved in 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp MSG (optional)
Season the chicken thighs with the all purpose rub.
Preheat the grill to high direct heat around 400 degrees Fahrenheit
Place the seasoned chicken thighs directly on the grates and cooking for 2 minutes before flipping. Continue these steps until the internal temperature of the grilled chicken reaches 170 degrees.
In a sauce pan or cast iron skillet, add bourbon of choice, brown sugar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, garlic and ginger paste, apple cider vinegar and ketchup. Whisk the ingredients together. Place on the grill and cook until the sauce thickens. Add the corn starch slurry to help thicken the sauce.
Chop up the grilled chicken thighs and drop them into the caramelized bourbon sauce. Fold in the chicken.
Serve the grilled bourbon chicken over a bed of white rice. Top with some chopped green onions and enjoy!
Use chicken breast for a leaner option. Remove from the grill once it reaches 160 degrees and rest for 5 -10 minutes before cutting up.
Use apple juice instead of bourbon if you want to avoid using alcohol. Calories: 829kcal | Carbohydrates: 107g | Protein: 54g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 216mg | Sodium: 1398mg | Potassium: 847mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 463IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 215mg | Iron: 8mg
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