Enjoy a summer barbecue with this Grilled Bourbon Chicken recipe. Chicken thighs and drumsticks are coated in a zesty, sweet, and boozy barbecue sauce to create a meal great for a backyard cookout or a simple weeknight dinner.
🐔 Why you'll love this grilled chicken
- It's packed with flavor. There's the richness of the bourbon, tanginess from fresh orange juice and zest, herbiness from rosemary, smokiness from smoked paprika, and a little heat from Sriracha.
- It's easy for a weeknight dinner but tasty enough for a backyard barbecue. The recipe makes four servings, but you can easily make more using the multiplier on the recipe card.
- You don't have to be a bourbon lover to enjoy this chicken. While the flavor is noticeable, it's not overpowering.
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For more chicken dishes, check out my recipes for messy but delicious Ground Chicken Sloppy Joes, light yet filling Arugula and Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken, and this comforting Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta. For one pan chicken meals, don't miss my Lemon Chicken Tray Bake or this Apricot Chicken Tagine.
For another bourbon recipe that would pair beautifully with this grilled chicken at a summer meal, try my Cherry Whiskey Sour.
🍗 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make grilled bourbon chicken.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks - A mix of bone-in thighs and drumsticks offers a nice variety for grilling. I like to serve each person one of each.
- Bourbon - You don't need anything fancy, but you do want to use a bourbon you would drink because you'll taste it in the sauce.
- Oranges - The zest and juice will go into the bourbon BBQ sauce and offer sweet and citrusy notes.
- Onion and garlic - A bit of chopped onion and garlic will help add aromatic flavor to the sauce.
- Rosemary - A couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary add a complementary herbal flavor to the chicken.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
🌶️ Substitutions & Variations
- Wings instead of thighs and drumsticks would work well in this recipe. Just reduce the cooking time to compensate for their smaller size.
- Try subbing lemons for the oranges for an equally enjoyable citrus flavor.
- You can make a spicier sauce using more Sriracha and/or adding crushed red pepper when cooking the onion. With just a tablespoon of Sriracha in the recipe, the sauce is mild with just a hint of heat.
- Use an equal amount of thyme in place of the rosemary for a slightly different herbal component.
- After cooking, blend the sauce with an immersion blender to make it completely smooth (instead of slightly chunky).
🔥 Instructions
How to make Grilled Bourbon Chicken.
- Step 1: Saute the onion in a small saucepan until soft.
- Step 2: Add the tomato paste, paprika, salt, garlic, and rosemary.
- Step 3: Whisk in the bourbon, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, broth, and Sriracha.
- Step 4: Simmer for 25-30 minutes on low heat until reduced and thickened.
- Step 5: Brush the chicken with oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Step 6: Partially cook the chicken on the grill for 4 minutes per side.
- Step 7: Brush the chicken with the barbecue sauce, then continue to grill the chicken until cooked through.
- Step 8: Serve the chicken with more sauce, orange slices, and your favorite side dishes.
🌟 Top Tip
It's tempting to coat the chicken in the bourbon sauce at the start of grilling, but this can cause it to burn. Instead, wait until the last few minutes to brush on the sauce. You can also coat the chicken with additional sauce before serving if you're the saucey type.
🌡️ Equipment
Grill - To cook the chicken. A grill pan would also work if you don't have a grill.
Brush - To coat the chicken with the bourbon sauce
Thermometer - To check the temperature of the chicken and make sure it's cooked through.
🥡 Storage
Store the chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
💭 FAQ
No, not entirely. There is still some alcohol left in the sauce. It's not much, but if you're sensitive to alcohol or don't consume alcohol, you probably want to make another recipe. Several studies have shown that alcohol does not entirely evaporate or cook off during cooking. Here's a good explanation from America's Test Kitchen.
That's up to you. Will someone get intoxicated from a serving size of this recipe? No. The final sauce probably contains less than a tablespoon of alcohol per serving. I wouldn't worry about it, but that's just me.
This grilled bourbon chicken is sweet, tangy, herby, a little smoky, and just a bit spicy. It's an excellent balance of flavors.
🍹 Pairing
These recipes would go great with this bourbon grilled bourbon chicken recipe.
📖 Recipe
Grilled Bourbon Chicken
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Enjoy a summer barbecue with this Grilled Bourbon Chicken recipe. Chicken thighs and drumsticks are coated in a zesty, sweet, and boozy barbecue sauce, great for a backyard cookout or a simple weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped (about ¾ cup)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 2 oranges, 1 zested and juiced, the other sliced into rounds
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup bourbon
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs
- 4 chicken drumsticks
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are softened. Add ½ teaspoon of salt, the paprika, garlic, tomato paste, and rosemary to the pan and cook for another couple of minutes while stirring.
- Mix in the Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, Sriracha, orange juice, zest, broth, and bourbon. Bring to a boil and reduce to low heat to simmer for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. If it gets too thick, add a splash or two more broth to thin it out. Partially cover the pan if it starts to splatter while simmering.
- While the sauce simmers, heat the grill to a medium flame. Brush the chicken thighs in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and season with ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste. Partially grill the thighs, about 4 minutes per side.
- Brush the thighs with some bourbon BBQ sauce and grill for another 2 minutes per side or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit when tested with a thermometer.
- Serve the chicken with additional sauce, orange slices, and sides.
Notes
If bourbon's not your thing, you can replace it with additional chicken broth.
Chicken wings would also work in this recipe, but you'll want to reduce the cooking time.
If you want a smooth sauce, you can blend it in the pan with an immersion blender.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
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