Maple Bourbon Chicken with Bacon
This Maple Bourbon Chicken with Bacon is simple and so fabulously delicious you might want to squirrel it away just for yourself!
I’ve kiddingly said but maybe with some seriousness that I should do a Maple Bourbon Bacon cookbook. It all started when I cured my own Maple Bourbon Bacon a couple of years ago. Maple was a no-brainer but putting it in the oven to cook with some bourbon in the pan led to something so fantastic I was hooked.
I’ve done Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam, Maple Bourbon Bacon Nuts and more so why not chicken? More appropriately, why have I not done this before now? This Maple Bourbon Chicken with Bacon brings together all the best of all of those parts.
The sweetness of maple, the depth of flavor when combined with bourbon, the bacon, well it’s BACON and the last secret, just a bit of heat with some cayenne to not make this all sweetness and light. It is, in a word (or four) OMG Good!
I did find another recipe to use for inspiration; while I often search for similar recipes AFTER THE FACT, this time I was long on ideas but short on time and thought I had recalled seeing something a couple of years ago.
I remembered the technique to mix the chicken with spices first before flouring, assuring that ALL of the spices are used in coating the chicken; great idea.
Also loved using bacon fat to cook the chicken; I’m glad to see people are over thinking bacon fat is bad. It is anything but…you want flavor, it’s got it in spades.
My biggest change was cloves and not using them. There are few things I don’t like and over the years I’ve tried enough to give things another chance to just know when it’s a no go and for me one of those things is cloves.
I used Maker’s Mark bourbon but use your favorite bourbon or whiskey. To many they are either the same or similar so you choose (nice article detailing the difference).
I preferred to up the heat quotient a bit and added a bit more cayenne pepper and everyone loved it so that’s my recipe.
Last but not least I used more chicken and there was plenty of sauce to go around. No way was a pound of chicken enough for a family meal. I used 3 lb of chicken thighs with bone in, if doing boneless I think you can get away with 2 pounds.
This dish is another I’ve made with friends that participate in the Food Network’s Comfort Food Feast. This dish suits that moniker perfectly…it’s all comfort and goodness!
PIN IT! ‘Maple Bourbon Chicken with Bacon’
Maple Bourbon Chicken with Bacon
Ingredients
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon
For the Chicken
- 3 lb. chicken thighs
- 1 tsp cayenne I used a tsp but only if you really like heat 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 & 1/2 tsp white pepper
- ½ cup flour
For the Sauce
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- 6 Tbsp bourbon
Instructions
- Cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces and fry it until it is crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
- Reserve about 1/4 cup of the bacon fat in the pan for frying the chicken.
TO Make the Chicken
- Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces.
- Put the chicken into a large bowl.
- Mix the cayenne, garlic, white pepper, and parsley.
- Coat the chicken with the spices and then add the flour and mix enough to coat again.
- Set the pan with the bacon fat back on the stove over high heat. Get the bacon fat nice and hot. but not smoking.
- When the fat is hot, add your chicken to the pan. (To test, add one piece; it should sizzle)
- Let the chicken cook, untouched, for about 3 minutes until the edges start to become opaque.
- You want to create a gorgeous brown crust on the bottom.
- Flip each piece over and fry for about another 3 minutes.
To Make the Dish
- Pour the maple syrup over the chicken; it will bubble.
- Sprinkle with the cooked bacon.
- Toss the whole thing together to coat the chicken and bacon. Let cook on high heat for another 2 minutes.
- Pour the whiskey into the pan (have a lid handy in case it flares up; just cover with the lid).
- Let the whiskey bubble for a minute or two, then toss to combine everything.
- Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the maple syrup and whiskey have coated the chicken with the amazing sauce.
- Serve over white, buttered rice.
- Garnish with sliced green onion.
This was delicious but I think if I make it again I’ll add some salt to the spice mix. The sauce is amazing but the chicken itself was a little bland.
This recipe was great. I served mine over light cheese grits. My husband loved it!
So glad you enjoyed it too Alicia; it’s truly one of our favorites!
This is out of control good and so so easy. I’ve made it a bunch of times already and the whole family loves it!
You are SO right…I just love this dish; as a matter of fact I think I need to make it tonight! Thank YOU for the reminder! 🙂
OMG I love this! Can’t wait to try it!
I think I must have this. I have everything but the chicken and I think they’ll have some of that at the butcher shop on the corner. Yum!
If you wrote a maple bacon cookbook, I’d be all over that! This is one chicken dish I will be trying and SOON! I have a feeling it will be my dinner one night this coming week for sure. Yum!
So good Kate…hope you love it too!
I agree that you just can’t beat the combination of bacon, bourbon, and maple! This is a brilliant recipe, Barbara. Beautiful photos as well!
Thanks so much Bill; I’m comfortable with food but photography is still a work in progress. 🙂
I’m not sure if there would be that big of a market for a Maple Bourbon Bacon cookbook, but I’ll bet the market for a Cooking with Bourbon cookbook would be huge. Really — that might be worth looking into. Anyway, great dish. I love me some bacon. And maple. And bourbon. 😉
Oh I was just kidding. I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to write a cookbook. None. Zip. Zilch! But I do love that trifecta a lot!
OMG is right – I love this combo Barb and am wondering why I haven’t made it before too. Will remedy that soon 😉