What’s for Dinner? Grilled Bourbon Chicken Drumsticks

Grilled Bourbon-Marinated Chicken Drumsticks

Have you noticed that we like to cook with booze? It shows up pretty regularly as an ingredient. Time for an intervention? Nah. Spirits are good for imparting flavor and the alcohol burns off during cooking, so there’s no chance of catching a buzz from your meal – unless it’s the intoxicating effects of mouthwatering morsels you’re after.

The Occasion: Time to get your grill on! Perfect for a warm weekend dinner with the family, or even a quick weeknight meal if you remember to marinate the chicken in advance. 

Why This Works: Super easy, subtle flavors, juicy chicken. What more do you need? Also – and I think this goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway – the recipe works well with all chicken parts, not just the drummies. 

The Verdict: This is not the sweet, sticky Bourbon Chicken that you will sometimes find at fast food Chinese restaurants. I like that stuff too, but this recipe is cleaner, simpler, and probably a little healthier. It adds a little pizazz to plain old chicken dinner. The bourbon flavor is subtle – to my taste it could be a bit stronger, so maybe the chix needs more time in the marinade? More bourbon in the marinade? I’m confident we’ll work it out next time.

Also – use a meat thermometer to determine the proper cooking time. You want it to reach 165 degrees. I always forget that drumsticks take way longer than almost any other part of the bird. Took ‘em off the grill and put ‘em back twice before they were really and truly done. Despite these minor points, this is a successful recipe which will be repeated time and again at our house. Give it a try!

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Printable Recipe- Grilled Bourbon Chicken Drumsticks
File Size:	716 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

---

Grilled Bourbon Chicken Drumsticks
Recipe by Ann Johnson
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 8 chicken drumsticks (or other chicken parts)
• ¾ cup bourbon
• ¾ cup light soy sauce
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Mix all the ingredients except chicken. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
• Put the chicken into a gallon sized plastic bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken in the bag.
• Place the bag into a shallow pan so that the chicken is covered with the marinade. Place the pan into the fridge for 4-8 hours. Turn the bag and massage the chicken from time to time, so that the marinade will reach all sides of the chicken.  
• When it’s time to cook, prepare your grill with two zones: direct heat and indirect heat.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry.
• Place the marinade into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Let it boil for about 3 minutes, which will thicken the sauce and kill any bacteria from the raw chicken. Set it aside until the chicken is nearly done.
• Place the chicken on the portion of the grill with direct heat to brown and sear all sides. Turn the drumsticks every 2-3 minutes until they’re brown all over, about 10 minutes all told.
• Then move the drumsticks to the indirect side of the grill until the meat is fully cooked, approximately another 15-20 minutes. Turn the pieces periodically.
• At about 5 minutes before the chicken should be done, baste the cooked marinade onto the chicken drumsticks.
• It is recommended to use a meat thermometer to tell when the chicken is done. Drumsticks should reach an internal temperature of 165˚.

Have you started grilling yet this year? Maybe you never stopped ...!