Maple Bourbon Pecan Chicken is light yet luscious — you will lick your plate clean! This 1-skillet, gluten-free dinner recipe is ready in just 20 minutes.
Alternatively titled “THE ONLY CHICKEN RECIPE YOU WILL EVER NEED.”
Ahem, that is to say, holy buckets you have got to try my Maple Bourbon Pecan Chicken, which is so good my husband wasn’t even mad I used some of his precious bourbon collection to test and tweak it to perfection.
Maybe it’s because I didn’t tell him until after he shoveled an entire chicken thigh into his mouth whilst telling me how delicious it was?
Watch How to Make It!
Maple Bourbon Pecan Chicken
Back to this sassy, sticky, delectable dish!
Chicken thighs are seared in a skillet before deglazing with a shot of bourbon. Don’t keep a bottle of bourbon in the house? No problem – I’ve got a hack for that. Next, the chicken thighs are nestled back into the skillet with a maple-dijon pan sauce then simmered until tender with a sprinkling of chopped pecans.
Totally foolproof. Literally I don’t think it’s possible to overcook chicken thighs – they just get more tender and juicy as they cook, and once drizzled with the thickened and syrupy sauce at the end? GET OUT.
Now, bourbon and pecans go together like pecans and maple syrup, which is to say the three of them combined in this dish are just heavenly. The bourbon flavor is more of a whisper then shout, and lends a subtle, caramel-y background note that I’d definitely miss if it were left out.
All that said, this dish is not sweet – it’s got the perfect balance of flavors.
20 minutes, 1 skillet, pantry staples, absolutely incredible – make this tonight!
How to Make This Recipe
Start by adding gluten free flour to a shallow dish then generously season with salt and pepper. Dredge boneless skinless chicken thighs in the seasoned flour then shake to remove any excess flour and place onto a plate.
Next get the sauce ready – in a bowl whisk together:
- Chicken broth
- Chopped pecans
- Maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
- Dijon mustard
- Apple cider vinegar
- Gluten-free Tamari (soy sauce if not GF)
- Dried rosemary
(The white bits are just fat from homemade chicken stock floating throughout!)
Set the sauce aside then heat extra virgin olive oil in a 12″ cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs then sear until golden brown on one side, 1-2 minutes, and then flip and sear until golden brown on the other.
The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this point. Remove the chicken to a plate then set aside.
Next, remove the skillet from the heat then add 2 Tablespoons bourbon. Two things:
- Be careful, as the bourbon will boil immediately from the heat of the skillet.
- If you don’t keep bourbon in the house – no worries! These tiny, 1(ish)-shot bottles are usually available behind the counter at the liquor or grocery store. So much easier than buying an entire bottle if you won’t drink it.
Add the maple sauce to the skillet then return it to the heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Nestle the chicken thighs into the liquid then loosely cover the skillet with foil, turn the heat down to medium, then simmer until the sauce has thickened and the thighs are cooked through, 10 minutes.
I nestle my Maple Bourbon Pecan Chicken onto a pile of mashed potatoes then drizzle a few spoonfuls of the lip-smacking sauce on top.
An arugula, parmesan, lemon and olive oil salad on the side rounds out this absolutely insane meal. Enjoy!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup gluten free flour
- salt and pepper
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons bourbon, Maker's Mark recommended
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
- 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons gluten free reduced-sodium Tamari, or soy sauce if not GF
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed between your fingers
Directions
- Add flour to a shallow dish then season generously with salt and pepper. Dredge each chicken thigh in the seasoned flour then shake to remove excess and place onto a plate. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together chicken broth, maple syrup, chopped pecans, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, gluten-free tamari, and dried rosemary then set aside.
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a 12" cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chicken thighs then sear until golden brown on one side, 1-2 minutes, searing in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding the skillet. Flip then sear until golden brown on the other side, and then transfer back to the plate - chicken does not need to be cooked through at this point.
- Remove skillet from heat then carefully add the bourbon - it will boil immediately from the heat of the skillet. Return skillet to the heat then add the maple syrup mixture. Turn heat up to bring the liquid to a simmer then turn heat down to medium and nestle the chicken back into the skillet. Loosely cover the skillet with a piece of foil then simmer until the sauce has reduced and the chicken is cooked through, 10 minutes, flipping the thighs in the sauce once or twice.
- Plate chicken then scoop sauce over the top and serve.
Notes
- I like to serve this dish with prepared mashed potatoes.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Kristin, I made this tonight for dinner and it was awesome! My husband also licked his plate clean, so I can already tell this will be in heavy rotation for a while. Thanks for another great GF dinner!
Wohoo! So glad to hear it (and good to know my husband isn’t alone!) ;) Thanks for the great feedback!
Never mind! I just re-read your story and found the mashed potatoes and arugula salad. Many thanks!
Gotta try it! Any suggested side dishes?
The mashed potatoes and arugula salad I served it with are awesome – otherwise any roasted vegetable would be great too!
My cast iron skillet has a lid. Any particular reason why I would need to use the foil instead of just plopping the lid on it?
(Lucky!) I would place it partially on top to let the sauce reduce as it simmers!
Kristin, my husband loves to cook in cast iron skillets but we don’t use cast iron on our flat top stove because we were told it could damage the surface of the stove. Thoughts?
Good question – the skillet in my pictures is enameled so the bottom is smooth. That said, we also have a classic cast iron and haven’t had an issue with our flat stop scratching. This recipe doesn’t call for a lot of stirring or anything so the skillet doesn’t move around much, if that helps you make a decision on whether or not to use it!
Oh, that looks delish! We are big chicken thigh eaters in my house, and we always have bourbon on hand for my Old Fashioneds! (I love Cedar Ridge’s bourbon whiskey…made in Iowa!)
This recipe has your name written all over it, Terri! I visited the Cedar Ridge distillery a few years ago – so beautiful!!
My husband will not eat dark meat, but LOVES bourbon, maple syrup, and pecans :). Do you have suggestions regarding substituting chicken breasts – like cooking time?
I think the same cooking time would apply to chicken breasts!
The arugula, parmesan, lemon and olive oil salad accompaniment sounds fantastic. Can you provide a recipe?
It’s so good and so easy – no recipe needed! Just whisked together fresh lemon juice with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese until I liked the flavor, then tossed with fresh arugula. ??
Looks delicious. I am on Weight Watchers and wonder if you could either supply Smart Points Value or the nutritional information so I can calculate it?
Hi Sharon! I’d recommend Livestrong’s recipe calculator tool if you need that information! http://livestrong.com/recipes/create/
Oh my yum! My husband would be licking his plate clean too! :D
How necessary is a cast iron skillet? We have a very old one – which I know sometimes means it’s a good one – but I’m not convinced it was taken care of properly. Would a normal pan work?
I’m sure it’d be just fine to use a nonstick or stainless steel skillet!
That sounds like a really delicious flavor combination! Thanks for sharing =)
Ohmygosh. I’ve never wanted chicken for breakfast as much as I do right now. We just received a giant bottle of Maker’s Mark as a gift, and we’re not big bourbon drinkers (shh! don’t tell Ben!) so I’ve been dreaming up ways to bake and cook with it. This is going on the list!
Oh perfect! And even if you think you don’t like bourbon, try mixing it with apple cider and ginger beer. OMG.