Grilled Chicken with Whiskey-Ginger Marinade

I was being lazy and didn't feel like going to the grocery store over the weekend, so I needed a good new grilling recipe that I could make with what I had on hand. I went off to peruse grilled chicken recipes from Cooking Light and found quite a few that fit the bill! I just spent a week traveling for work, so the recipe that called for bourbon floated right to the top of the list.

Hello, gorgeous!
This recipe calls for a quick one hour marinade, which I like. My chicken breasts were already thin, so no pounding was necessary and they still grilled up quickly. The chicken by itself was just ok, but adding the reserved marinade-turned sauce really made the dish. It was awesome! The whiskey gave a nice base, and the ginger and lime peeked through.


Grilled Chicken with Whiskey-Ginger Marinade
Source: Rick Rodgers, Cooking Light, October 2002
Yield: 4 Servings

* 4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 1/3 cup bourbon
* 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
* 3 tablespoons brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
* 1 teaspoon grated lime rind
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
* 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* Cooking spray
* 1 tablespoon water
* 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
* 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

Preparation

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Combine bourbon and next 9 ingredients (bourbon through garlic). Reserve 1/3 cup marinade. Pour remaining marinade into a zip-top plastic bag; add chicken. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Preheat grill to medium-hot using both burners.

Turn left burner off (leave right burner on). Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Coat grill rack with cooking spray. Place chicken on grill rack over right burner; grill 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Move chicken to grill rack over left burner. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until done. Slice each breast diagonally into thin strips; place chicken on a platter. Cover loosely with foil.

Combine water and cornstarch, stirring well with a whisk. Place reserved 1/3 cup marinade in a small saucepan; stir in cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil; cook 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Drizzle sauce over chicken; sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Nutritional Information, per serving

Calories: 202 (16% from fat)
Fat: 3.6g (sat 0.7g,mono 1.1g,poly 1.1g)
Protein: 27.3g
Carbohydrate: 7.1g
Fiber: 0.3g
Cholesterol: 66mg
Iron: 1.3mg
Sodium: 610mg
Calcium: 27mg