Bacon Bourbon BBQ Chicken Kebabs

That’s right! Bacon Bourbon BBQ Chicken Kebabs! Could anymore deliciousness be squeezed into a recipe title?!! So, to break it down, what I’m talking about here are lovely little pieces of chicken skewered onto a stick, coated with a bacon paste ( oh be still by heart…there is such a thing as a bacon paste!), smothered with a boozy Bourbon BBQ sauce and then, thanks to the mad grilling skills of my husband, grilled to perfection. (if I had grilled them they would have been a bit more crispy and a lot darker shade). As if there could be anything other than “perfection” with the likes of the list of ingredients just described.

These kebabs are easy to prepare and you can make them up well in advance of when you plan to grill them. The bacon paste coating was also quite easy to make. You just throw bacon pieces into the food processor along with your spices and whirr it all up until you’ve got a paste. I must admit, though, the thought of  it was a bit weird. I’ve never really worked with meat pastes before, but if they all taste as good as bacon paste, I say bring ’em on! You can use any BBQ sauce that you like with this recipe as well. If you are short on time, just get a bottle of your favourite from the grocery store. I happened to have some of the Chipotle BBQ sauce left over from the Coffee-Chipotle Pulled Pork I made a little while ago, so I used that. You just add a bit of vinegar to your sauce if it needs a bit of a tangy zing and then pour in that booze! (Knob Creek for me) Easy peasy!

These kebabs are just delicious! The bacon paste not only keeps the chicken from drying out, but infuses it with a mouth-watering spicy flavour. And then that boozy BBQ sauce really gives them quite a kick. Smoke and Bourbon…deelish!

I know summer is drawing to a close (yay! yay! and super yay!), so you’ve gotta try to get these in your Fall grilling repertoire. You won’t regret it!

Bacon Bourbon BBQ Chicken Kebabs

recipe from: The Slow Roasted Italian

yield: 8- 10 kebabs

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces barbeque sauce, I used my homemade Chipotle BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup bourbon whiskey  (I prefer Knob Creek)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 4-5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1”x1” pieces
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh black pepper
• ¼ cup sweet paprika
• 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 6 slices bacon , cut into small pieces
• 8-10 12-inch wooden skewers (soaked in water for an hour)

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine barbeque sauce, vinegar and whiskey. (My Chipotle BBQ sauce was vinegary enough, so I chose not to add any to mine. However, if you have a sweeter sauce you are using, you may want to add the vinegar)  Whisk to combine.  Set aside and allow flavors to meld.

Add bacon pieces  to the bowl of your food processor and blend until bacon becomes a paste.  Add salt, pepper, paprikas, and sugar.  Pulse until well combined.

Pat chicken with a paper towel to dry.  Add bacon paste mixture to chicken; mix with hands until chicken is completely coated. Place chicken on skewers.

Place kebabs on preheated grill.  Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes.  Brush cooked surface with barbecue sauce and cook each side (coated in sauce) for 1 additional minute.

Remove kebabs from grill.  Pour remaining barbeque sauce into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour into a serving container and serve barbecue sauce along side kebabs.

Enjoy!