Whiskey Chicken

Reminiscent of the bourbon chicken you might find at some restaurants...

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (remove all visible fat)

Marinade:
1⁄2 cup soy sauce
1⁄2 cup packed brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon freshly grated gingerroot
1 green onion, white and green parts, minced
1⁄2 cup whiskey (rye, bourbon, whatever you like)
2 tablespoons white wine

Prep:  Debone and skin your chicken (if you don't have boneless, skinless pieces on hand).

In a glass bowl, combine all marinade ingredients.  Add chicken thighs to marinade, turning to make sure all meat comes into contact with marinade.

I don't always have fresh gingerroot, so I keep ginger paste
on hand - available from Asian markets. 

Use the whiskey of your choice.

White cooking wine.

Make sure chicken is covered in the marinade.

 Cover container tightly and refrigerate for several hours (I suggest a MINIMUM of 2 hours); overnight is fine; turn chicken pieces occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place chicken in an oblong casserole dish; drizzle half the marinade over thighs (you can use more than half, if you want); discard the remaining marinade.

For easier clean-up, I lined my casserole dish with foil with cooking spray on it. 

 

Use at least half of the marinade to pour over the chicken before baking.

Bake thighs for one hour, basting frequently.

Take out of the oven a few times while cooking, in order to baste. 

NOTE:  Thighs can also be grilled.  You can use the marinade for basting BUT there is a danger of cross contamination, so you MUST bring the marinade to a boil and then let it boil for a full 5 minutes.  It can then be used to baste the thighs on the grill.

Now, this is not part of the original recipe, but AFTER baking, I threw the meat in a grill pan, just for a few minutes to get a few grill marks (my personal preference for presentation).