Kentucky Bourbon Sticky Chicken!

When you think of Bourbon Chicken, you probably think of it as a Chinese carryout or buffet type of chicken, because that is where you usually find it.  The story is that a Chinese chef who cooked in a restaurant on Bourbon Street in New Orleans created the dish.  This "Kentucky Bourbon Sticky Chicken" is not that Bourbon Chicken.  It's a bit different and it is lip smacking.

Since 95% of the world's bourbon is manufactured in Kentucky  it's only right that Kentucky have it's own bourbon chicken recipe, so here it is!  I used skinless boneless chicken breasts for this, but if you like the dark meat, you can use thighs or even chicken legs and wings would be fabulous!

  Here is what you will need:

5-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

juice one lime (could substitute a lemon)

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 cup good Kentucky bourbon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 Tbs. soy sauce

2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

3 green onions, sliced thin

2 Tbs. bacon drippings (can substitute oil)

Cut your lime in half and juice it.

Add all of the other ingredients except the bacon drippings to make your marinade!  I like this juicer, because I can just mix everything up right in the same dish!   Stir until the brown sugar is dissolved 

Place the chicken a gallon size Ziplock bag and pour the marinade over all in the bag.  Zip it up and turn it until all of the pieces are coated.  I usually put the bag on a platter or on a cookie sheet, in case it leaks.  Place this in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours to get good and soaked with the flavors.  If you can think far enough ahead, you can even do this the night before and let it hang all night.  I don't usually think that far ahead unless I am cooking for company. 

 In a large heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, but if you don't have one any you have is fine, heat the bacon drippings or oil.  This recipe requires a good constant conduction of heat and the cast iron is good for that.  Take the chicken out of the marinade and just brown it on each side.  Reserve the marinade.   The bacon drippings give this such great flavor, but if you don't keep bacon drippings, use vegetable or canola oil.  Get some good color on both sides of the chicken.

Pour the marinade you reserved over the chicken and bring it to a boil.  Let this boil for about a minute or two and then turn down to medium.  Leave this uncovered and cook for about 40-45 minutes, turning the chicken every 10 minutes.  The sauce will gradually start to reduce so you need to watch it, because as it thickens it will stick and can burn.   Spoon the sauce over the pieces as it reduces also.

At the end of 40-45 minutes the chicken will be nice and actually bourbon colored and that marinade will have reduced to the most wonderful sticky coating.   For anyone worried about the alcohol, it's long gone by this point, but bourbon leaves a wonderful flavor and is a natural tenderizer. 

It's a beautiful thing!

I like this served with rice and a green vegetable or salad, but potatoes work also!  This was a huge hit at our house! 







Slow Cooker Sticky Chicken!

Evidently, there are many different recipes for sticky chicken out there and everyone's mother or grandmother did it somewhat differently.  Sticky chicken is a southern classic...I guess, but to be perfectly honest, I don't think it is in Kentucky.  My mother, that I can remember, didn't make sticky chicken.   It might be more of a deep south dish.  I have found that we really like this recipe and it works in either the slow cooker or the oven.  Today I made it in the slow cooker, since it was 105 degrees and adding heat to the house by turning on the oven long enough to bake a chicken seemed sort of crazy.   You can also use a whole chicken, like I did or use chicken pieces...most recipes use legs and thighs, but chicken breasts would work also.  

I used the same foolproof method of cooking that I used for my regular The Perfect Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken.   Roll up some foil into enough balls to cover the bottom of the slow cooker.  You then place your chicken on top  of the foil and it keeps it up out of it's juices so that it roasts instead of stewing.

Mix the brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, catsup, vinegar, and chopped garlic.  Place in the microwave for about 3 minutes or until boiling. Stir really good after it boils. This sauce will thicken up as it sits after you boil it.

Wash your chicken inside and out and remove the bag of giblets, if it has one, that they put in the cavity.  I knew somoene once, who when they cooked their first turkey for Thanksgiving left that in there...yuck.  Sprinkle the chicken inside and out with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning...I used Tony Chachere's.  If you don't like spicy, go light on the Cajun seasoning.  Pour about half of the sticky marinade over the chicken making sure all of it is covered, legs, wings, breast.  Save the other half for later.  Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for a total of about 4 hours.  You will need to pour the other half of the sticky marinade over the chicken at 3 hours.  This works best on the high setting for the shorter cooking time instead of on low for 8 hours. 

At the end of the cooking time, carefully lift the chicken out of slow cooker to a carving board. It will be very tender so use a large spatula to lift it out.  Let it rest for about 10 mintues and then carve.  The outside will be nice and sticky with the sauce.  Dip some of the sauce out of the slow cooker and drizzle over the meat after it's carved.  The sauce is really good.

Sticky chicken, fresh green beans cooked with red potatoes, sauteed squash, and fresh corn on the cob!

Ingredients:

4-5 lb chicken

1 cup catsup

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup honey

2 Tbs chopped garlic

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

salt, black pepper, and cajun seasoning to taste