So, I’ve been putting off writing this post because (1) I was not loving the way my pictures turned out, and (2) somehow I had absolutely zero things to say about either the recipe or my reasons for making it (which is crazy, because I literally always have some kind of back story). It’s been seriously depressing the last week or so, y’all – I thought maybe I’d lost my blogging mojo!
But then I read this post by Pinch of Yum, and realized that it’s my blog, I can write whatever the hell I want, and when in doubt write about the food. So, here we go: This is a recipe for sticky baked bourbon chicken, and it’s awesome. There’s really nothing else to say about it except (1) yum, (2) so easy, and (3) great for people who suck at meal-planning and/or putting home-cooked meals on the table every night.
I made this on a Sunday (with 8 thighs), and there was enough food for us to stuff ourselves silly for lunch that day (disclaimer – I also made bangers & mash, brussel sprouts and green beans for that particular meal), and then enjoy slightly more reasonable portions for lunch the rest of the week.
It wouldn’t be fair to say that this is the best bourbon chicken recipe ever, since my only other point of reference is a few bites of the super-sugary stuff my co-worker likes to order at the food court near my office, but…it’s pretty frickin’ great. The meat is both flavorful and fall-off-the-bone tender (looooove me some dark thigh meat!), the bourbon sauce is the perfect blend of savory and sweet, and the whole thing is just begging to be devoured with endless heaping bowls of rice. Delicious. Try it!
- 1½ to 2 lbs. chicken thighs (I used 8 bone-in, skin-on thighs, but the original recipe used boneless/skinless)
- ½ cup soy sauce (if you want this to be gluten-free, make sure you get the wheat-free stuff)
- ¼ cup oil
- ¼ cup vinegar
- ¼ cup bourbon
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- ½ a large onion, diced
- The night before you cook these (or at least a few hours before), combine the soy sauce, oil, vinegar, bourbon, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and diced onion in a bowl. Whisk until combined.
- Place the chicken in a baking dish and pour the sauce over the chicken. Toss to coat each piece with sauce.
- Cover the dish and marinate your meat overnight (or for as many hours as you have before baking).
- When you're ready to cook, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Uncover the chicken and bake for 45 minutes. Flip each piece periodically to make sure they bake in the sauce on both sides.
- When your chicken is done, turn the oven temperature to low broil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes to get a nice, browned exterior on the chicken. (Watch your chicken carefully to make sure it doesn't burn)
- Remove chicken from the oven and serve immediately (whole or cut), with extra sauce over the rice.
- Enjoy!
(Slightly adapted from Pinch of Yum)
Very nice Blog, Thank you from France. Stephane Cardarelli.
What kind of oil and vinegar should be used here? It doesn’t specify.
I used olive oil and white vinegar. Hope that helps!