The Best Grilled Bourbon Chicken Recipe (High Protein Meal Prep Base)

If you’re looking for an easy, high-protein chicken dinner that’s both smoky and a little sweet, these grilled bourbon chicken drumsticks hit the mark. The marinade is a rich bourbon glaze that caramelizes beautifully on the grill, giving you sticky, flavorful skin and juicy meat inside. Serve them over rice with charred broccolini and zucchini for a full meal that feels like it came straight off a backyard barbecue — even if you’re cooking on a stovetop grill pan. These drumsticks also work great as meal prep or party food, and the marinade pairs just as well with chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat with a flatter cut.

The Best Grilled Bourbon Chicken Drumsticks

Juicy, smoky, and sweet — these bourbon-glazed grilled chicken drumsticks are an easy, protein-packed dinner that feels like summer on a plate. Includes optional charred broccolini and zucchini sides.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Main Course, meal prep

Cuisine Chinese-American

Ingredients

  

Chicken

• 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks (or substitute thighs)
• 2 tbsp bourbon (or sub 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar + 1 tbsp apple or pineapple juice
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar or monkfruit sweetener
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Veggies

• 1 small zucchini, sliced into thick rounds
• 1 small bunch broccolini
• 1 tsp olive oil or avocado oil
• 1 pinch salt & pepper to taste

To Serve

• 1/2 cup Cooked rice (white or brown)

Instructions

 

• Make the Marinade: In a bowl, whisk together bourbon, soy sauce, brown sugar or monkfruit, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, garlic, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
• Marinate the Chicken: Add drumsticks to a zip-top bag or container and pour in the marinade. Seal and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
• Preheat Grill: Heat grill or grill pan over medium-high. Lightly oil grates or cooking surface.
• Grill the Chicken: Remove chicken from marinade and grill for 6–8 minutes per side, turning occasionally, until internal temp reaches 165°F and the skin is slightly charred and sticky.
• Cook the Veggies: Toss zucchini rounds and broccolini with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill for 3–5 minutes per side until charred but tender.
• Assemble the Plate: Serve grilled chicken over a bed of rice with broccolini and zucchini on the side. Optionally drizzle with any reserved (cooked) marinade.

Notes

Pro Tip: For extra glaze, simmer the leftover marinade in a small pan for 5–7 minutes until reduced and safe to spoon over the finished chicken. (Do not reuse raw marinade without cooking it.)

Keyword bourbon chicken, meal prep

Macros will vary based on rice quantity and veggie portion. A typical skin-on drumstick includes ~185 calories, 19g protein, 2g carbs, and 11g fat.