A while back, I made a batch of Kahlua Beef Short Ribs, and Kenya over at Here's the Thing... commented that although her hubby likes beef (and Kahlua), she's not a big beef eater, so she was wondering if the recipe would work with chicken. My thought was that it would probably work great with bone-in dark meat chicken. She also commented that should she make the ribs for her hubby, the Kahlua would give her an excuse to spike her coffee, to which I replied "don't forget the Amaretto DiSaronno!" I love Kahlua and Amaretto together, especially in a Toasted Almond. That's my favorite drink, whether made with milk, cream, or even vanilla ice cream!
I had pulled some chicken out of the freezer the other day on my way to work, not yet having a plan for what I wanted to do with it. My mind returned to Kenya's question while I was driving home, and although the chicken I had pulled out was neither bone-in nor dark meat, I figured what the heck and gave it a shot anyhow.
It was tasty, but I've got some tweaking to do. I was working with less chicken (3 breasts) than what I had when making the ribs, so right off the bat, I should have decreased the sauce - or at least used a bigger pan for more surface area/evaporation. I also knew that unless I was using a slow cooker, it probably wasn't a good idea to cook the chicken for as long as the ribs had cooked - but I did anyhow, just to see what would happen.
Not bad for a first attempt while knowing I was doing a few things wrong. I think next time, I'll increase the Amaretto (the Kahlua was still definitely the predominant flavor), reduce the amount of peppercorns, and cook down the sauce with the onions ahead of time (maybe with a little sugar and/or cornstarch) so I can glaze the chicken with it while cooking for a shorter period of time. We'll see. Anyhow Kenya - I'll let you know when I get it "just right," and maybe this will push you go play around with it in the meantime?
INGREDIENTS:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 T granulated pasilla chilies
1 T whole peppercorns
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 c Kahlua
1/2 c DiSaronno Amaretto
1/2 c chicken broth
1 T vanilla
Sliced almonds
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and place in baking dish.
- Sprinkle the chilies, peppercorns, and garlic over the chicken.
- Top the chicken with the onion slices, then stir together the liquid ingredients and pour over the top.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 1'.
- Remove foil, flip chicken, re-cover with foil and bake for another 1', then flip again and continue - uncovered - for 30".
- Toss a handful of sliced almonds in a dry pan and lightly toast over medium heat for a garnish.
For sides with this, I made some pilaf for the starch, then did a simple sauté of tomatoes and artichokes in olive oil with a little garlic and Italian seasoning.
