Sunday, February 14, 2010

Bourbon Chicken

A lot of the men that I know love bourbon chicken. Instead of getting it from your local, fast food restaurant, make it at home where you can control both the ingredients and calories.

I would also suggest if you are trying to lighten this recipe up, use breast meat instead of thighs (can’t vouch for the flavor) and cut back on the brown sugar a bit.

Serves 4 or will make 16 appetizers.

1/2 bottle teriyaki roasted garlic marinade and sauce

1/4-1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/3-1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Zest of 1/2 lemon

Crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/4 cup bourbon

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 to 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, fat cut off

Honey (optional)

3-4 scallions, cut diagonally

Whisk together all ingredients except chicken, honey and green onions. Put chicken pieces in a container and pour marinade over them. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. Stir occasionally so all the chicken marinates.

To cook, heat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken pieces in a 13-by-9-inch pan lined with foil. (Discard marinade or, if you want a sauce, thicken with cornstarch and pour over chicken halfway through cooking.)

Bake up to 1 hour, until chicken pieces are 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. If desired, to give the dish a bit of shine, squeeze a little honey over the chicken 5-10 minutes before end of cooking time. Sprinkle with green onions at end of cooking time.