These mouthwatering Maple Bourbon Chicken Thighs are made with a flavorful bourbon, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, and Italian seasoning marinade and cooked to juicy perfection!
This post may contain affiliate links. Making a purchase through one of these links helps support this blog.
After the holidays, I ended up with a lot of liquor and wine! Some were gifts and some were gifted to me as part of partnerships. Either way, we currently have a ton of booze in the house! Now, my husband isn't a big drinker. In fact, he doesn't drink at all. As for me, I'm more of a wine drinker than anything else.
So I've been thinking of different ways I can use some of the liquor in our little corner cabinet. Aside from making the occasional cocktail, I decided to use some of our stash in marinade recipes.
I was gifted a bottle of Brother's Bond Bourbon created by Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder. You might know them better as the handsome Salvatore brothers from The Vampire Diaries. While I made a cocktail or two over the holidays and added it to my grandmother's caramel recipe (so good!), the bottle remains pretty full.
Recently I put my bottle of bourbon to use and added it to a marinade for chicken. I've made maple Dijon chicken before. But this time around, I amped things up with a splash of bourbon. The bourbon adds a bold and oaky sweetness to this maple marinade making it oh-so-delicious!
Maple Bourbon Chicken Thighs
Even if you are a bourbon drinker, this recipe won't use up a lot of your bottle! All you need is 1/4 cup! Then, mix it with maple syrup, Dijon mustard, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, and Italian seasoning for an incredibly flavorful chicken marinade!
The first thing we need to do is whip up our marinade. Whisk the bourbon, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper together in a small mixing bowl.
Now, we're going to add the chicken thighs to either a freezer bag or container. I like to use chicken thighs because they're juicy and have a good flavor.
Pour the marinade over the chicken, seal the bag or container, and let the chicken sit in the fridge and soak up all of that goodness for at least 2 hours. The longer it marinates, the better it will be!
When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then, spray a grill pan with nonstick cooking spray and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 7 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
Now, we're going to transfer the chicken thighs to a foil lined baking sheet. Make sure to spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray first. Continue cooking the chicken for about 15-20, or until the meat is completely cooked through.
Allow the chicken to rest 5 minutes once done and serve.
Maple Bourbon Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs skin on
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 2 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In small bowl, whisk bourbon, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper together.
- Place the chicken thighs in a container, or freezer bag, and pour marinade over chicken.
- Place container in fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a cast iron skillet grill with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium.
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Add them to the skillet, skin-side-down, and cook for about 7 minutes.
- Then, flip the chicken thighs and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken thighs to a baking sheet lined with foil and nonstick cooking spray.
- Continue cooking for 15-20 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through.
- Allow the chicken to rest 5 minutes before serving.
Not a fan of chicken thighs? Use this marinade on boneless chicken breasts, chicken wings, or even pork chops! Serve with wild rice or roasted sweet potatoes for a totally delicious meal!
Did you make this Maple Bourbon Chicken Thighs recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
