I have now worked with my business partner, Jane, for over ten years – and in the decade I have known her, she has mentioned Sheet Pan Bourbon Chicken several times. Not just any sheet pan chicken, though. Over thirty years ago, she managed a cafe in Baltimore where the chef was known for this recipe. She has described it over the years as grilled chicken finished in the oven on a sheet pan in a sweet and sticky sauce made of bourbon, mustard, and molasses.

She’s mentioned making a similar recipe throughout the years for our cafe, but we’ve never gotten around to it. A few months ago, I asked her to remind me of the recipe before stopping her mid sentence – “actually, don’t tell me! let me create this and then we can call it ours!”

And that is exactly how we got here. I added flavors like ginger, balsamic vinegar, and swapped the molasses for honey to truly make this our own. The chicken is marinated in a dry rub of spices and Dijon mustard, then baked in the oven atop a bed of shallots and the perfect amount of butter, which melts into a whole grain mustard-vinegar-bourbon based sauce accompanied by the chicken juices. At the final stages of cooking, honey is added for the necessary balance of sweetness. The shallots not only add an incredibly savory flavor, but are an essential part to serving this dish.

To really balance out the meal and the origin of the recipe, I add what I call a non-negotiable rice. There’s a reason this rice is non-negotiable, as Jane is quite known for her stove-top onion rice. Of course, there’s no pairing like rice and chicken, so when you add the roasted onions atop it all and finish it with the sauce, there’s an undeniably delicious meal.

I would serve this for a weeknight dinner, savoring the leftovers for the next day’s lunch – or serve this for a dinner party with a loaf of crusty ciabatta and a plate of sauteed broccolini.

However you enjoy this, all that matters is that you simply enjoy. Thank you Jane for the continuous inspiration.

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Honey Mustard Bourbon Chicken & Rice

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Ingredients

For the Chicken
8 pieces bone-in and skin-on chicken*
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon dried garlic
1 teaspoon paprika (preferably sweet, not smoked)
1 teaspoon dried onion
salt and pepper as needed
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
avocado or olive oil as needed
For the Sauce
2 shallots, thinly sliced*
4 tablespoons salted butter
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon whole grain mustard
3 tablespoons Bourbon + 2 tablespoons
salt and pepper as needed
1 tablespoon (or more) honey
For the Rice
2 cups white rice, rinsed very well
4 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon salted butter
pinch of salt

Directions

Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken pieces to a bowl and add the seasonings (ginger, garlic, onion) and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper to your liking, then mix everything together until the chicken pieces are evenly coated. Cover and marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, but preferably overnight.
Prepare to cook. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Have a large skillet, a 9x13 baking dish, a 2-quart pot, and a thermometer on stand-by.
Assemble the sauce. Add the sliced shallots to the bottom of the 9x13 baking dish. Add the balsamic vinegar, whole grain mustard, and 3 tablespoons of Bourbon and use a spatula to mix it together. Distribute the four tablespoons of butter in four sections of the dish. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside until needed.
Sear the chicken. Remove the chicken from the fridge. Add enough avocado or cooking oil to just cover the bottom of the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, sear 3-4 chicken pieces for 5-6 minutes on each side until the skin is colored and crisp. Transfer the chicken pieces to the baking dish prepared with the sauce. Repeat until all the chicken has been seared. This may take 2-3 batches. Control the heat as needed.
Deglaze the pan. Once finished searing and all of the chicken pieces are in the baking dish, keep the skillet on medium-high heat. Working quickly, add 1-2 splashes of bourbon and use a spatula to deglaze the pan, scraping off any brown bits until the skillet is clean. Add to the baking dish.
Bake the chicken and prepare the rice. Place the chicken in the oven and set a timer for 40 minutes. While the chicken is in the oven, prepare the rice. Bring 4 cups of stock to a boil in a 2-quart pot. Add the butter, pinch of salt, and rinsed rice. Cover, reduce the heat, and cook for 15 minutes (or according to package directions). Once finished, fluff, taste, adjust salt/add pepper, and keep warm until needed.
Check the chicken. Remove the chicken from the oven and take the temperature. The chicken is finished once it reaches 165 degrees F. Depending on what type of chicken you use (boneless or bone-in) your cooking time will vary. If your chicken registers at 145 degrees F, you will need about 15-20 more minutes. Set your timer accordingly, keeping in mind that the final 5-minutes of cooking you need to add honey.
Add the honey. In your final 5 minutes of cooking, remove the chicken from the oven. Carefully move over the center piece of chicken, and stir in the honey. Using a towel or oven mitts, tilt the dish back and forth to distribute the sauce. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Assemble and serve. To serve, transfer the warm rice to your serving bowl. Transfer the chicken to another. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the shallots from the baking dish and evenly scatter over the rice. The sauce will smell amazing. Divide the sauce evenly over the rice and chicken pieces. Serve together.

Watch me make this recipe:

Notes

I like to use a combination of dark and white pieces, but you can use all white, all dark, or even boneless and skinless pieces. If so, cooking times may be less than written above.