• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Percolate Kitchen

Percolate Kitchen

meal prep that works.

  • Recipes
  • Extras
    • Blog
  • Shop
  • Prep Sesh
  • My Plans & Recipes
19 December, 2017 by Ruthy Kirwan

Sticky Bourbon Chicken Skewers

Simple, sticky-sweet marinade for chicken skewers, with a kick from bourbon! Made with honey, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce.

Jump to Recipe Add to Prep Sesh Print Recipe

Warning: this bourbon chicken recipe is super addictive. You can’t stop after eating just one!

I’m telling you this as a friend: make sure you’ve got people standing around when you take these babies off the stove or the grill because once you taste one, you’ll want to eat the entire platter, sticky fingers and all.

Do you think I’m joking? I double-dog dare you to not eat just one. Go ahead! Try me.



Related: Turkey, Cranberry, and Cream Cheese Pinwheels for a Party


You can skip the skewers if you’d like, and just cut the chicken up into bite-sized pieces and stab them with toothpicks.

The star of this recipe is the marinade, so whether you serve this bourbon chicken on skewers or not is secondary.

Just make sure you remember to have fun! (although pssst… the bourbon helps that part!)

This recipe also works with a variety of different proteins!

Try tossing the sauce with:

  • pressed tofu then baked with the prepared sauce on a sheet pan
  • pork tenderloin smothered in the sauce and wrapped in foil before baking
  • chicken stir fry served with rice and vegetables
  • steak bites, sliced off the grill
  • pork chops on the one, grilled

In other words, feel free to get creative!

A quick word about the marinade on this bourbon chicken:

The sauce for these skewers is incredibly easy to make, and it’s up to you just how “sticky” you’d like to make them. As you can see in the pics, the sauce is somewhat thin and pourable; the recipe as written doesn’t make a gloopy, sticky sauce.

But if you’re looking for a sauce that’s thicker, or you want to “sticky-i-fy” it a bit more, you’ve got a couple of options:

  1. Double the ingredients in the sauce recipe and plan on cooking it much longer; the sauce will reduce and reduce and reduce as it simmers, and the longer it reduces, the thicker and stickier it gets.
  2. Add a cornstarch slurry to the sauce, made by mixing equal parts cornstarch and water until you’ve got a runny consistency. Whisk that into the sauce and simmer an extra 5 minutes or so to cook the cornstarch. Once it’s off the heat and begins to cool, the sauce will thick up.
  3. Add more honey and less bourbon, playing around with the ratios until the consistency is what you prefer.
Simple, sticky-sweet marinade for bourbon chicken! Made with honey, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce.

Sticky Bourbon Chicken Skewers

Ruthy Kirwan
Simple, sticky-sweet marinade for bourbon chicken! Made with honey, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce.
4.69 from 22 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Add to Your Prep Sesh Go to Prep Sesh
What’s a Prep Sesh?Click HERE for details!
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs skinless chicken thigh
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup honey
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic clove
  • ½ cup bourbon
  • wooden skewers

Instructions
 

Prep Ahead:

  • Cut the chicken, if needed, and thread onto skewers. Transfer to a resealable bag or container.
  • Combine the remaining ingredients in a resealable container.
  • Store chicken and sauce ingredients in the fridge for up to 7 days, or the freezer for up to 3 months.

Prepare From Prepped:

  • Thaw ingredients as necessary.
  • Follow the instructions in Steps 3-6

Make From Fresh:

  • Cut the chicken into long strips, then skewer. Set aside.
  • Combine the rest of ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
  • Add the sauce to a large, wide saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat. Cook at a simmer for a further 10 minutes, until the sauce thickly coast the back of a spoon.
  • Add the skewers and turn in the sauce to coat.
  • Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Turn occasionally to prevent the sauce from burning.
  • Remove the chicken skewers from the pan and set aside. Spoon any remaining sauce into a bowl to be used as a dipping sauce on the skewers.

Notes

I’m telling you this as a friend: make sure you’ve got people standing around when you take these babies off the stove, because once you taste one, you’ll want to eat the entire platter, sticky fingers and all.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
3.3/5 (58 Reviews)
Category: Chicken, Dinner, Handheld, StovetopTag: Barbecue, BBQ, chicken, finger food, fourth of july, grill, new year's eve, party appetizers, skewers, super bowlCooking Type: StovetopMain Ingredient: ChickenMeal Type: Dinner

About Ruthy Kirwan

Ruthy Kirwan is a recipe tester and developer living in NYC with her two small kids and hard-working husband. She created Percolate Kitchen in 2016 to help busy people get their act together in the kitchen. Learn more at percolatekitchen.com/about

Previous Post:Gluten-free breakfast casserole made with spiralized sweet potatoes and sausage; easy to make ahead and great for a crowd.Spiralized Sweet Potato Gluten-Free Breakfast Casserole
Next Post:Homemade Beer Pub Cheese Spread (just 6 ingredients!)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ruthy Kirwan

    28 November, 2022 at 8:48 am

    Hi Monica- You could do either, but I’d recommend freezing before cooking. Make the sauce as instructed, then transfer it to a container when it’s cool enough to handle and freeze it separately from the chicken. When you thaw the sauce, you may want to heat it on the stove for a bit to re-thicken it, as it might get slightly watery during the freezing process. Then you can toss with the chicken and cook together or as needed.
    Good luck! Let me know if you freeze, and how it goes for you!

  2. Monica

    27 November, 2022 at 10:58 am

    Delicious!

    If I wanted to double and freeze the recipe, would I freeze before or after cooking the chicken in the sauce?

  3. Rob

    28 October, 2022 at 1:48 pm

    5 stars
    Made this as the recipe is written, except did not do skewers, used whole chicken tenders, and it is great! Things I might do differently next time, grill/precook the chicken then coat/simmer with/in the sauce, add a little spice, maybe a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes for flavor. But overall, this one is a keeper.

  4. Leila

    2 October, 2022 at 10:54 am

    5 stars
    This recipe has been an exceptional recipe for me. Those who haven’t tried the recipe should try it now.
     

  5. Ruthy Kirwan

    25 May, 2022 at 10:05 am

    Hi Tiffany, the chicken is cooked with the sauce! Then the sauce reduces down during cooking and caramelizes to get “sticky”. Anything left in the pan is for dipping. I definitely don’t recommend using sauce that had raw chicken in it, either:) I’ve amended the words of the recipe to be a bit more clear, so no one makes that mistake. Thank you for pointing it out!

  6. Tiffany

    24 May, 2022 at 10:19 pm

    This sounds good & I can’t wait to try it. But, as written, please do not toss raw chicken in sauce and then use sauce to coat cooked chicken!

  7. Sally

    22 May, 2022 at 7:20 pm

    Delicious… didn’t have quite enough honey so I added some maple syrup. I probably cooked it for a total of 10 minutes and it thickened up just perfectly. I put my chicken on the grill outside and then basted with sauce… had plenty left over to dip in. Pure Heaven!

  8. Stephanie

    18 May, 2022 at 10:48 pm

    These look amazing! Adding this to the menu for next week. I love grilling season.

  9. Penny

    10 February, 2022 at 7:32 pm

    Actually did thin strips of chicken, thickened with 2T cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water and served over rice! Delish!!

  10. Kathy

    23 January, 2022 at 4:26 pm

    Hi Ruthie,
    on 9/12/19 you wrote: “I’m so sorry to hear that! I haven’t made these in a while, so I’m going to make them again and see if there’s something I can recommend that can help the sauce come out thicker for you”.
    Have you had a chance to make this recipe again and what your thoughts are to thicken the sauce?
    Hope to make this week (1/23/22).

    Thank you, Kathy

  11. mavee125

    13 October, 2021 at 2:30 am

    This recipe is so good! With my version, I added Korean bbq sauce that I bought from Karman Foods. It was a great twist of the taste. So delicious and flavorful! Love it!

  12. Tammy smith

    22 April, 2021 at 9:00 pm

    The sauce was very delicious…yes it’s on the thin side but still great. Only problem I had with it is not sticking to the chicken. The kids ate them all..I had to pour extra sauce in their plate.

  13. Rhonda Copeland

    7 March, 2021 at 8:35 pm

    Would brown sugar work instead of honey? Maybe that would make the sauce stickier? I’m going to try it.

  14. TRACY BURNSIDE

    12 February, 2021 at 7:58 pm

    We loved these!! They cook up so quick and are delicious!! I left the heat up a little more than medium and the sauce thickened perfectly!! Will definitely make these again – so yummy!

  15. Stephanie

    12 August, 2020 at 1:57 pm

    Sauce was great in the chicken. Grilled ours. Just need to caramelize the sauce more. Can’t rush a good thing. . It will thicken by its self. Great recipe. Thank you!!

  16. Nancy

    6 July, 2020 at 8:49 pm

    The flavor is wonderful but it’s true, this is a very thin sauce. The picture I believe is a little deceiving. I added corn starch to mine to thicken the sauce.

  17. Diane

    24 December, 2019 at 2:17 pm

    Very disappointed in this recipe I expected the sauce to be a thick glaze. The sauce was very thin and not much adhered to the chicken like shown in the pictures. Rethink this recipe. I had to resort wrapping chicken in bacon and pineapple and broiling them to get any crispness.

  18. Gus

    30 November, 2019 at 3:49 pm

    This is a simple receipt that tastes great. Will try a little corn starch to help thicken the sauce; however, great flavor and my family devoured them!

  19. Ruthy Kirwan

    12 September, 2019 at 11:07 am

    I’m so sorry to hear that!! I haven’t made these in a while, so I’m going to make them again and see if there’s something I can recommend that can help the sauce come out thicker for you.

  20. Ruthy Kirwan

    12 September, 2019 at 11:05 am

    I’ve never made them ahead of time and reheated, but I’m pretty confident they would work out fine. If you’re nervous, maybe skewer and grill the chicken, then make the sauce separately and then reheat and combine before serving.

  21. Kelly S

    7 September, 2019 at 5:31 pm

    Really disappointed in how thin the sauce is! It tastes good, but isn’t making for a good presentation 😢 What did I do wrong?

  22. bb

    5 September, 2019 at 9:51 pm

    Can these be made ahead of time and reheated

  23. erik

    27 August, 2019 at 3:23 pm

    can these be made ahead of time and reheated?

  24. Ruthy Kirwan

    18 August, 2019 at 8:45 am

    They’re not needed, really- I just added a sprinkle for color and contrast on the photos 🙂 You can definitely add them if you’d like!

  25. BAW

    12 August, 2019 at 7:14 pm

    Why isn’t the sesame seeds mentioned In the recipe?

  26. Ruthy Kirwan

    26 July, 2019 at 6:17 am

    Nope! I don’t use anything TOO fancy, but that’s about it. The bourbon I used for this recipe was Maker’s Mark, if I remember correctly.

  27. Alexandria

    15 July, 2019 at 6:47 pm

    is there a specific bourbon you use or recommend?!

  28. Wendy szoka

    30 July, 2018 at 2:37 pm

    2 stars
    The consistency of the sauce was so thin.. I boiled & boiled the sauce in the hopes it would cook down & never did. The flavor was good but definitely not sticky considering the amount of honey. It was like water. Still an ok flavor after all that but will be looking for a recipe that can actually coat & stick to the meat

  29. Ruthy Kirwan

    28 April, 2018 at 6:39 am

    That’s awesome, so happy to hear you guys liked them! SOO addicting, aren’t they!? Thanks, Claire!

  30. Angela Milnes

    27 April, 2018 at 10:30 am

    These skewers look like they would be such a hit. My family would definitely love this!

  31. Emily

    27 April, 2018 at 2:43 am

    So yummy and the ingredients are simple!

  32. Kristen

    26 April, 2018 at 9:52 pm

    This would be perfect for a summer get together! I never tried bourbon chicken before but sounds like I would love it!

  33. Marcie

    26 April, 2018 at 5:48 pm

    OMG I want to be eating these right now! Even the name sounds super appetizing!

  34. Claire

    26 April, 2018 at 11:48 am

    5 stars
    These are such a big hit!!!
    Everyone loved them and you are right it is impossible to just eat one!
    I followed your advice and served individual pieces skewered with a cocktail stick……I am not sure how many I had but I had certainly disposed of quite a few cocktail sticks by the end of the party 😉

  35. susie

    26 April, 2018 at 11:38 am

    5 stars
    What in the sweet heavens is this!!???? These look unbelievably amazing. Especially the last pic with the sauce drizzle! I am saving this recipe for sure!

  36. Britta

    26 April, 2018 at 11:36 am

    5 stars
    I think my husband might die of happiness if I made these for him. 😉 Thanks for the recipe!!

  37. Lisa Huff

    26 April, 2018 at 11:32 am

    5 stars
    Forget the parties, I could eat these for dinner all the time!

  38. Stephanie@ApplesforCJ

    26 April, 2018 at 10:35 am

    5 stars
    I always love an easy appetizer idea. These look perfect for entertaining.

  39. camila

    26 April, 2018 at 10:01 am

    5 stars
    Looks very delicious and simple enough!! Very great recipe!!

Trackbacks

  1. 15 Best Super Bowl Party Food - Jolly Paradise says:
    9 January, 2023 at 11:56 am

    […] Find Your Recipe Here- Sticky Bourbon Chicken Skewers […]

  2. 25 Easy Chicken Appetizers - Best Homemade Recipes says:
    14 October, 2022 at 11:22 am

    […] 2. Sticky Bourbon Chicken Skewers […]

  3. 35 Grilled Appetizers (Easy, Healthy, For a Crowd) - Best Homemade Recipes says:
    6 October, 2022 at 5:51 am

    […] 1. Sticky Bourbon Chicken Skewers […]

  4. 25 Simple Chicken Appetizer Recipes (Cold, Mini, and Fall) - Best Homemade Recipes says:
    20 September, 2022 at 4:43 am

    […] 4. Sticky Bourbon Chicken Skewers […]

  5. 23 Meat Appetizers Ideas - Best Homemade Recipes says:
    9 September, 2022 at 10:55 am

    […] 10. Sticky Bourbon Chicken Skewers […]

  6. The Organized Life, January Paint Bucket | The Painted Apron says:
    2 January, 2022 at 6:00 am

    […] Sticky Bourbon Chicken Skewers from Percolate Kitchen […]

  7. 20+ Meat Appetisers – This Is The Reason Why You Should Choose 3 Of Them! – ALL FOOD RECIPES says:
    5 November, 2020 at 2:49 am

    […] Sticky Bourbon Poultry Skewers These sticky bourbon poultry skewers are not just a simple celebration appetiser, they’re extremely additive. You cannot quit after consuming simply one! Get Your Recipes Here! […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Search

  • Amazon
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok

You work hard. Dinner should be easy.

At Percolate Kitchen, we believe that the “third shift” of getting dinner ready shouldn’t mean reinventing the wheel every evening.

Recipes on our site are broken down into simple, step-by-step processes so you can be flexible with your time- make the meal fresh, prep the ingredients to assemble and cook later, or do a little bit of both.

SHOW ME HOW THAT WORKS

Groceries in Under An Hour

Get Instacart
  • My Account
  • Shop
  • Your Cart
  • Privacy Policy
  • Shipping Policy
  • Returns and Exchanges Policy
  • Contact Us
  • About Us

Copyright © 2023 · Percolate Kitchen · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme