We’re eating sweet and spicy grilled chicken breast marinated in a mildly spicy soy, bourbon & brown sugar sauce and served over a bed of fluffy basmati rice with a ladle of bourbon sauce to finish off the dish.

How many times have you been walking through the food court at the mall and passed by a fast food Chinese place that was pushing samples of their bourbon chicken? Well, growing up in Virginia and Maryland I had this experience a lot. Normally I would succumb to the juicy grilled chicken sample without actually indulging in a full order. (frankly, I think I’ve done this in the past month or two!)

The bourbon chicken at the mall was always sweet and savory and very lightly marinated. It was indeed the initial inspiration for my bourbon chicken. Oh yeah, that and the fact that a recent house guest happened to leave half of a bottle of Evan Williams which I’m not likely to drink…ever. Anyway, in my version of bourbon chicken the meat is much more heavily marinated and the flavor of the bourbon is more pronounced yet not overwhelming. I also chose to make a sauce using part of the marinade, as both Tyler and I are big fans of rice and gravy. Next time you’re craving some sweet and savory bourbon chicken I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Recipes in this post:

• Sweet & Spicy Asian Bourbon Chicken

Related posts:

1. Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken & Whipped Sweet Potatoes
2. Super Easy Sriracha-Peach Chicken Wings
3. Grilled Kinda-Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich

Tonight was comfort food party night! The menu consisted of savory roasted asparagus soup garnished with crumbled feta and a roasted asparagus spear; sliders made with 2oz griddled burgers, melted cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, a slice of dill pickle, mustard, and ketchup on a toasted whole wheat Hawaiian roll; and finally southwestern macaroni and cheese made with a bechamel-based sharp cheddar and havarti cheese sauce, roasted red peppers, fresh jalapeño, chorizo, and cilantro – served up in dainty little parmigiano reggiano cups. The hors d’oeuvres were all washed down with a nice crown and coke(zero)…very light on the coke.

Macaroni and Cheese BitesA: mmm… there’s something fun about small-ified foods.
T: I agree. You can just grab one for a bite, or you can eat 50 of them for 50 bites.
A: too true. fifty bites might be a bit overboard though. i got full off of just a few of these bites!
T: I did too… I guess the burgers were really more than a bite, though. But much more smallified than a standard burger. Smallified. College worked for me. Not.
A: yeah. we did go to LSU. where we learned things like “smallified”.
T: yeah, things like how to find your keys when you wake up on a stranger’s patio with a black eye and no keys.
A: hehehe oh aaron. what a funny dude. okay! refocus. so, i’m definitely digging on those cute little sliders… le petit hamburger.

Shots of roasted asparagus soupT: they were really tastier than I expected them to be. They had a wonderful sweetness, and yet the sweetness did not overwhelm the savory flavors at all.
A: and the tartness of the pickles. I just have a deep love for burgers. in a perfect world cholesterol wouldn’t exist and i would eat burgers every day. or at least once a week!
T: What did you think about the other hors d’oeuvres?
A: i actually thought they were both really tasty. i pulled all the different dishes from the sidebar poll and made the top three savory comfort foods… in mini versions. it’s really a fantastic idea for an event that Brigitte at Dispensing Happiness made up.
T: it certainly is. So what do you rate these puppies?
A: well, i give the roasted asparagus soup a 4.2/5. It was tasty and i could see myself eating WAY more than a shot full of it (which is a good thing since we’ve a huge ass pot of it). The burgers: i give them a 4.6/5. they were mini, they were greasy, and doggonit i liked them! as far as the mac and cheese was concerned, hey! it’s mac and cheese. what’s not to like. i particularly like the cute little parmesan vessels they came in and the jalapeno accent on top. I give them a 4.44/5.

A happy drinkT: yeah those little parmesan vessels were incredibly cool. I absolutely loved the burgers and the mac n cheese. The soup was good, but not my favorite thing ever. I give the burgers a 4.6/5. They were super-duper. I give the mac n’ cheese a 4.7/5. I need to have many more bites of it since I’ve only had one thus far. I give the soup a 4.
A: i kind of figured that it wouldn’t be the ultimate soup for you…knowing that brothy chicken based soups are your key to comfort soup. I was particularly inspired to make a roasted veggie soup from nicole’s recent post about roasted cauliflower soup. mmm. Overall i’d have to say it was a pretty successful comfort food hors d’oeuvres party. more sliders anyone?!?
T: more mac n’ cheese, pleese.

Recipes in this post:

• Roasted Asparagus Soup
• A Southwestern Take on Macaroni and Cheese
• Mini Parmesan Cups

Related posts:

1. The Ultimate Corned Beef Sandwich
2. Virginia-Style Brunswick Stew
3. Sweet & Spicy Asian Bourbon Chicken