I seem to have an abundance of Kentucky bourbon in the house these days. Unusual. I always have Canadian whiskey (I prefer cooking with whiskey over wine). So I went looking through the archives for some recipes with bourbon. I had forgotten about this one, with is always a hit at cookouts.

Because it’s a kabob style, it’s a bit labor intensive, but you can prepare all of it the day before. If you want your chicken even drunker, you can soak it in the extra bourbon overnight.

From 2014:

Grilled Bourbon Chicken Appetizers

12  servings

• 1- 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
•  1/4 cup chopped Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
•  1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• Bourbon (how much you use and what you do with the leftover is between you and your bottle)
• 8 oz pineapple chunks
• 12 strips of sliced bacon (should be a pound)
• 12 short wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes before assembling and grilling*

Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch x 2-inch cubes, you should have 36 pieces (you can soak in bourbon if you like)Mix together Chipotle peppers, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and add enough bourbon and pineapple juice to make a thick sauce. Cover chicken cubes on all sides with sauce and let marinate for at least 1 hour.

To assemble: Start with a pineapple chunk, add one end of full bacon strip, add a chicken cube, then wrap bacon around the top of the cube and skewer, add another cube of chicken, wrap bacon around the bottom of that piece of chicken, then skewer, add a third and repeat with the bacon strip, you’re creating a ribbon with the bacon. Finish with a pineapple chunk.

(And I wish I had a photo of that step for you, but we got so busy doing them, I forgot to get the camera out.  I barely got a finished picture, had to grab someone’s plate before they started munching).

Grill over medium-high heat (if using coals, start over hot coals, then move away from direct heat for the remainder of cooking time), turning frequently. Cook until the chicken is 160-165 degrees. Shouldn’t take more than 8-10 minutes, don’t overcook or you’ll have dry, rubbery appetizers. Serve hot.

*please don’t forget this step or all you’ll have for appetizers is flaming skewers.