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Bourbon Maple BBQ Chicken Skewers

Bourbon maple BBQ skewers with grilled chicken and a glossy, caramelized bourbon-maple glaze. Sweet-savory chicken cooks fast on skewers, with frequent basting until the glaze turns sticky.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
marinating 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 32 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken breast
  • 2 lb chicken breasts Cut into 1-inch cubes for even cooking.
Bourbon maple BBQ sauce
  • 0.5 cup BBQ sauce For coating, basting, and marinating base.
  • 0.25 cup bourbon Use a drinking bourbon; reserve sauce for basting.
  • 0.25 cup maple syrup Adds caramel color and sweet-savory balance.
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar Brightens the glaze.
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard Helps emulsify the glaze.
Skewers
  • 1 wooden skewers Soak in water so they don’t burn on the grill.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 grill

Method
 

Make the bourbon-maple BBQ sauce
  1. In a bowl, mix BBQ sauce, bourbon, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and Dijon mustard until smooth.
  2. Reserve 1/4 cup of the sauce for basting so you have glaze to brush on during grilling.
Marinate the chicken
  1. Thread chicken into a nonreactive container and pour in the remaining sauce, coating all cubes.
  2. Marinate for 1-4 hours in the refrigerator.
Grill the skewers
  1. Thread the marinated chicken onto soaked wooden skewers.
  2. Preheat the grill to medium heat, then grill skewers for 5-6 minutes per side, basting frequently with the reserved sauce.
  3. Continue grilling until the chicken reaches 165°F and the glaze is sticky with a glossy caramelized look.

Notes

Pro tip: Keep basting frequent during grilling and avoid thick puddles—brush a thin layer so the glaze turns glossy and sticky instead of burning. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3 days; freezer: no (glaze texture may soften). For a lighter option, replace half the BBQ sauce with reduced-sugar BBQ sauce to keep the sweet-savory balance.