Bourbon BBQ Chicken

Hi Everyone,

I am excited for tonight’s dinner, it’s a first for me!  I made homemade barbecue sauce and I couldn’t be more pleased.  Yes I’m a virgin BBQ sauce maker, but not anymore.  It was easy and so satisfying.  lol

I got the recipe for the barbecue sauce from the Jim Beam website.  I pretty much used the same recipe but changed it up just a pinch.  I cut the brown sugar in half, because no one needs all that sugar and I didn’t have dried mustard so I used Dijon Mustard.  The sauce is thick, but not super thick.  You can taste a pinch of the bourbon and it has a slight kick, but not too much to be considered to spicy for someone.  It was perfect.  My Husband the perfectionist liked it, that’s saying a lot, he ate two pieces of the chicken.  I am very pleased with this dinner!!  I will be making this one again.

Now that I conquered my first barbecue sauce I can’t wait to see what I can create next.  I also can see more bourbon recipes in the future.  I bought a bottle of Jim Beam Bourbon for the Mardi Gras  Holiday Hop and I am not a bourbon person or a big alcohol person so I am using it to create recipes.  My next recipe I’m thinking of is cake.  Yah!!

It’s easy, perfect and a wonderful summer recipe or in this case a winter recipe.  With all this warm weather were having I’m starting to get spring fever!  Isn’t spring fever a wonderful feeling?  I go crazy every year!  I miss the summer!

Bourbon Barbecue Chicken – adapted from Jim Beam

Ingredients:

1 lbs boneless chicken breasts

2 cups ketchup

4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 cup Jim Beam® Bourbon

4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

To make Barbecue sauce:

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients (except chicken). Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Makes 3 cups. Can store in refrigerator up to 1 month.

Cut chicken horizontally in half and lightly sprinkle some salt & pepper.  Place on medium heat grill.  Add 1 tablespoon of bbq sauce to each piece of chicken.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Flip chicken and add an additional 1 tablespoon to each chicken breast (or add as much sauce as you like).  Cook until no longer pink, about 3 – 5 minutes.

Serve with additional barbecue sauce if you please.

The barbecue sauce makes about 3 cups.  Place the additional sauce in the refrigerator for another use.

Makes 4 4oz servings

Calories per tablespoon of barbecue sauce:  32,  Fat:  0,  Cholesterol:  0,  Sodium:  174,  Potassium:  6.5,  Carbs:  5,  Fiber:  0,  Sugar:  5,  Protein:  .01

Calories per 4oz chicken breast without BBQ sauce:  120,  Fat:  2,  Cholesterol:  65,  Sodium:  75,  Carbs:  0,  Fiber:  0,  Sugar:  0,  Protein:  26

If you never made Barbecue Sauce you should do it.  It’s fun and easy and whats best, is you can control the sugar and calories.  The original recipe had one cup of sugar so I cut it in half, but I’m thinking maybe next time I’ll cut it down a little more or maybe add molasses instead.  Well see?

Well I have slacked for two days on exercising, so I am going to get some strength training in tonight.  My excuses are, I wasn’t feeling great yesterday and Hubby was home today and it’s not fun exercising when he’s home.  Weird that I feel that way, huh.  I like my privacy when I work out.  Do you feel the same way?

Have a great weekend!!!!