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.
I made this last night and it is genuinely delicious! I paired it with asparagus and a wild rice blend from Trader Joes. What a good meal, I’m so excited about lunch today because it’s the little bit of leftovers that remained!
Oh my goodness this was good. I made this a few nights ago with Parmesan orzo and roasted veggies and couldn’t get enough. The leftovers are even better. And both my 3 year old and 15 month old gobbled it up as well. Thank you!
Im very sorry I’m leaving you the notes I left in my recipe app, Plan to Eat. It is 1:30 in the morning and I had to use the chicken in the fridge. I’ve had this recipe open in my tabs because it looked so darned good!
We were going to bed after it was made. That was the plan. And then this happened.
Settle over mashed potatoes.
This one is a keeper. OMG yummy. Gluten free. Can be amended to non inflammatory.
Used fresh bone in skin on chicken thighs. Doubled the recipe. Added dried onion, lots of garlic and fresh thyme to the dredge.
Next time use fresh garlic…maybe 5-6 cloves.
used aged JD because bourbon is not in my scotch filled liquor cabinet.
My mother is coming to visit tomorrow. She’s going to love it
Crazy question, Is bourbon gluten-free? Is it possible to have it made by using wheat, rye or barley? I love the idea of your recipe and am really encouraged by all the positive comments. Just wanted to check to see if you had a short answer.
Yes! Good question. Bourbon is a type of whiskey and whisky is distilled and gluten-free.
I could see myself eating this chicken on repeat for months at a time! So MOUTHWATERING!
Made this tonight and it was delicious!!!!!! Great flavor and the chicken was so moist. I served it over garlic mashed potatoes with a side of greens. Thanks so much for a wonderful dinner?
Awesome combo, Stacy! I’m so, so glad you loved it!! :)
Oh this looks GOOD! Those chicken thighs look so nice and thin. Did you pound them down? Chicken at the store is always so huge and thick these days.
Thanks Allison! I didn’t have to pound these thin. I’m thinking maybe the giant ones you saw at the store were bone-in? Those are definitely big honkers!
I am thinking of using bone-in thighs (that’s what I have on hand). Would it be better to bake in the oven due to the increased cooking time?
I’m thinking so. Maybe use this recipe as your guide, and just add glugs of chicken broth if the sauce reduces too far down while baking. Let me know how it turns out – I was going to test bone in thighs but never got around to it! https://iowagirleats.com/2016/09/12/pan-roasted-chicken-thighs-and-rice/
Maple Bourbon Pecan Chicken is absolutely amazing. I made the dish for dinner tonight and I will be making it again. A savory flavor, tender chicken paired well with bacon garlic green beans was delightful experience. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Yum, I love your choice of side dish! Thanks so much for leaving your feedback!
ok- update- first of all – that chicken recipe is SO FREAKING AMAZING – there are no real words…. we’ve decided that this is now our go to company dinner bc its not hard but its SO GOOD. also the waffle sitch was key ;)
Oh my gosh, I’m so, so glad – love the sounds of the sweet potato waffles, too!! Thanks for the great feedback, Sarah!
Just looking at these pictures on my iPad makes me hungry. What a talent you have.
Love you Grandma!! ?
OMG… I was getting ready to make this for my husband and i was going to make sweet potato mash since thats what i had… and he suggests we make SWEET POTATO WAFFLES with the chicken….!!! this chicken looks amazing and i think this is going to be an EPIC combo :)
Any non-alcoholic suggestions for the sauce ( we don’t have alcohol at home)?
You can use the mini bottle I showed or just skip that step!