Bourbon Peach Chicken

Bourbon peach chicken is a vibrant, colorful summer dish that pairs savory browned chicken with tart juicy peaches and a sweet bourbon pan sauce. This dish only requires one pan and a few simple ingredients, making cooking and cleanup a cinch. And did we mention it comes together in just 30 minutes? Pair it with your favorite side salad, cooked grains, or pasta salad to round out this dish.

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breasts, trimmed, tenderized or butterflied
½ t sea salt
¼ t cracked black pepper
1½ T olive oil
½ yellow, white, or red onion, thinly sliced
2 peaches, sliced, skin removed (if preferred)

Bourbon sauce:
⅓ c bourbon
¼ c brown sugar (light or dark)
1 T Dijon mustard
2 t apple cider vinegar
2 t soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)

Instructions:
In a small bowl, whisk together bourbon, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic. Set aside.
Trim the chicken. If using larger chicken breasts, either cut into smaller tenders or butterfly into thinner pieces. Use a meat tenderizer to flatten chicken tenders to the same thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken in a single layer. Brown on one side for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and brown on the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Check for an internal temperature of 165F.
Deglaze the pan with a few tablespoons of bourbon sauce, using a spoon to scrape up the browned bits.
In the same pan, drizzle the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and thyme and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the bourbon sauce into the pan. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced by half and slightly thickened.
Add the peaches to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly softened. Return the chicken back to the pan. Spoon sauce and peaches over the top of the chicken. Sprinkle with additional fresh thyme, if desired. Remove from heat and serve.

Notes:
– What temperature is chicken done- boneless chicken breast is done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest section of meat is 165F. Remove the chicken from heat when it reaches 160F, as the internal temperature will continue to rise a few more degrees after being removed from heat.
– Do I need to peel the peaches – no! In fact a ton of the nutrients of peaches are in the skin. The skin can become loose when cooked. If that bothers you, remove it.
– What oil should I use to brown chicken – we prefer to use an oil with a higher smoke point, like avocado oil, grapeseed, or safflower oil, so that it doesn’t burn/smoke while browning the chicken. I would only use extra virgin olive oil if it is high quality oil. Lower quality olive oils have lower smoke points and are not good for browning.
– What is the best pan for browning chicken – cast iron or enameled cast iron are excellent for browning chicken, as they retain heat really well. This is key to prevent the pan from cooling once the chicken is added, which can cause the chicken to release its liquid and boil instead of browning.
– Does bourbon peach chicken contain alcohol – yes. This recipe uses bourbon to make a sweet pan sauce. Due to the short simmering period, there will still be alcohol in this sauce once cooked. According to research done by the USDA, after 15 minutes of simmering, 40% of the alcohol will still remain.

Tips for Making Bourbon Peach Chicken:
– Get chicken to even thickness – to ensure that the chicken cooks evenly, use a meat tenderizer to flatten thicker sections/pieces of chicken to the same thickness. Cut larger breasts into smaller tenders or butterfly to ensure evenly sized pieces.
– Make sure the pan is hot – the secret to browning chicken is making sure that the pan and oil are hot before adding the chicken. If you add the chicken too early, you risk the liquid leaching from it, which will cause your chicken to boil and turn rubbery, not tender and browned.
– Don’t overcrowd the pan – if you have a smaller pan or if you’re using larger pieces of chicken, you might want to cook in batches to ensure that the chicken browns properly. Too many pieces in the pan will decrease the pan temperature and will cause liquid to escape the chicken and make it boil, not brown.
– Chicken internal temperature – the cooking times listed are guidelines. The time it takes to brown your chicken will vary with the size and thickness of your chicken and the pan you’re using. For the best results, use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F. This will help prevent you from drying out or under cooking your chicken. Remove the chicken from heat when it reaches 160F. The internal temperature will continue to rise once the chicken is removed from heat.
– Use the right pan – the type of pan will also affect the degree of browning. We get the best results using a well seasoned cast iron, enameled cast iron, or cast aluminum. Stainless steel can also get a great sear, however we always have problems with the browned chicken sticking to the pan.
– Use fresh herbs – fresh thyme really elevates this dish. Dried thyme is not nearly as potent or flavorful, but will do in a pinch.
Use fresh peaches – choose red-orange peaches that are slightly soft when squeezed lightly. We do not recommend using frozen or canned peaches, as they tend to be gummy and break apart when cooked.
– Use whatever bourbon you have – in our opinion, the best bourbon is the bourbon that you have on hand. It doesn’t have to be super fancy. I’ve also used Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 (whiskey), specifically when shooting this recipe because I was out of bourbon, and it tasted just as good as bourbon.

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