Grilled Chicken with Bourbon Peach Butter

I love my girlfriends because they're cute, funny, and daring. And particularly daring when it comes to the kitchen. I've learned that myself + the kitchen + daring usually equals disaster, but for some reason my girlfriends manage daring with ease and flawless success. Which is partially why I keep them around. They bring up my average.

Earlier this year, one of my my besties texted Jeff asking for a great bourbon. She's not a bourbon drinker, so I could only think two things had happened. A miracle had occurred and I suddenly had a bourbon buddy or she was cooking.

After some investigating and prodding, turns out she was cooking and I just had to have her send over the details. I mean, any recipe with bourbon is a winner  in my book and this bourbon peach butter sauce totally takes the prize for creative summer element that spices up the blah grilled chicken thang. So try this one out next time you're tired of grilled chicken and you just may fall in love all over again. I dare you.

I like paired down ingredients for simple yet rich flavor and this 5-ingredient recipe fits the bill perfectly.

Peaches are ripe and golden this time of year so grab a few along with a bit of bourbon and fresh lemon juice.

 

Alrighty, I have to be honest here folks. It was not easy peeling the peaches. And then dicing them. And then cooking them. I was super tempted just to use the canned variety to save myself some serious time (gasp!) so I won't blame you if you just skip the next steps and go straight to the blender with a can of peaches. Don't worry, no one's looking...

Anyhoo, bring the chopped peaches to a boil with water and lemon juice in a saucepan. Let it simmer until the peaches are soft and cooked - about 30 minutes.

 

 

Be super careful when blending at this step. Let the peach mixture cool for a few minutes or else it could explode out of the blender. I'm totally not kidding. I promise.

Blend the peaches with bourbon and brown sugar until creamy and smooth and then pour into a casserole dish.

Bake the sauce for about two hours at 250 degrees until it's thick. This actually took about an hour longer than we expected, so beware of the timing gods. You can't rush a thickening sauce, but it's totally worth it when it's all finished. Grill some chicken just before the sauce is finished and serve warm. Yum!

 

 

 

 

Grilled Chicken with Bourbon Peach Butter

(view original recipe here)

• 1 1/2 pounds coarsely chopped peeled peaches (about 5 medium)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250°.

2. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Combine peach mixture, bourbon, brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor or blender, and process for 1 minute or until smooth. Transfer peach mixture to a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Bake at 250° for 2 hours and 15 minutes or until thickened.

3. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

4. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper evenly over chicken. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with sauce.

 

Hugs,

Erin