Bourbon Peach Chicken
Bourbon peach chicken is a vibrant, colorful summer dish that pairs savory browned chicken with tart juicy peaches and a sweet bourbon pan sauce.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts, trimmed, tenderized or butterflied
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- 1½ Tbsp avocado oil
- ½ yellow, white, or red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 peaches, sliced, skin removed (if preferred)
Bourbon sauce
- ⅓ c bourbon
- ¼ c brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together bourbon, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic. Set aside.
- Trim the chicken. If using larger chicken breasts, either cut into smaller tenders or butterfly into thinner pieces. Use a meat tenderizer to flatten chicken tenders to the same thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken in a single layer. Brown on one side for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and brown on the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Check for an internal temperature of 165F.
- Deglaze the pan with a few tablespoons of bourbon sauce, using a spoon to scrape up the browned bits.
- In the same pan, drizzle the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and thyme and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the bourbon sauce into the pan. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced by half and slightly thickened.
- Add the peaches to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly softened. Return the chicken back to the pan. Spoon sauce and peaches over the top of the chicken. Sprinkle with additional fresh thyme, if desired. Remove from heat and serve.
Notes
- What temperature is chicken done- boneless chicken breast is done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest section of meat is 165F. Remove the chicken from heat when it reaches 160F, as the internal temperature will continue to rise a few more degrees after being removed from heat.
- Do I need to peel the peaches - no! In fact a ton of the nutrients of peaches are in the skin. The skin can become loose when cooked. If that bothers you, remove it.
- What oil should I use to brown chicken - we prefer to use an oil with a higher smoke point, like avocado oil, grapeseed, or safflower oil, so that it doesn't burn/smoke while browning the chicken. I would only use extra virgin olive oil if it is high quality oil. Lower quality olive oils have lower smoke points and are not good for browning.
- What is the best pan for browning chicken - cast iron or enameled cast iron are excellent for browning chicken, as they retain heat really well. This is key to prevent the pan from cooling once the chicken is added, which can cause the chicken to release its liquid and boil instead of browning.
- Does bourbon peach chicken contain alcohol - yes. This recipe uses bourbon to make a sweet pan sauce. Due to the short simmering period, there will still be alcohol in this sauce once cooked. According to research done by the USDA, after 15 minutes of simmering, 40% of the alcohol will still remain.