Drunken chicken is chicken prepared and cooked with alcohol. Popular versions include beer can chicken in North America, bourbon chicken in Cajun and Chinese-American cuisine, pollo borracho in Latin America, and Chinese versions made with rice wine. Recipes typically include at least 1 cup of alcohol and the chicken should fully absorb the flavor.
Drunk chicken refers to chicken prepared and cooked with an alcoholic beverage. One of the most popular forms of drunken chicken, particularly in North America, is beer can chicken. Bourbon chicken is another type common to North America. Pollo borracho, typically found in Latin America, is prepared using white wine, tequila, or other similar spirits. The versions found in Chinese cooking are usually made with Shaoxing wine or some other type of Chinese liquor.
While drunken chicken encompasses a range of chicken dishes prepared with different types of alcoholic beverages, not all alcohol-prepared chicken dishes fit the term. Typically, a recipe for drunken chicken includes at least 1 cup (about 8 ounces or 237 milliliters) of alcohol, if not more. The chicken should be cooked in a way that allows the meat to fully absorb the flavor of the alcohol. In many cases, a whole chicken is used, but some recipes call for just chunks of chicken.
Beer can chicken — also called beer-head chicken, chicken on a throne, and dancing chicken — is a type of drunken chicken, especially common in North America. A whole chicken, typically prepared with salt and other seasonings, is placed on top of a partially filled beer can. Holding the can upright, the cook must transfer the chicken and beer to a rack, where the chicken slowly cooks for an hour or more. While the beer doesn’t come into direct contact with the chicken, the heat warms the can and causes the liquid inside to evaporate. While the beer, now in gas form, fills the inside of the chicken, it permeates and season the meat.
Bourbon chicken, another North American version, uses bourbon whiskey as a key ingredient. The dish appears most often in Cajun, Chinese-American, and American barbecue cuisine. A whole chicken is cut into pieces and dipped in a marinade made from bourbon whiskey, soy sauce, brown sugar and ginger. As it soaks, the meat absorbs the whiskey flavor. Prepared chicken can be grilled, sautéed, or cooked.
Pollo borracho is a Latin American version of drunken chicken most often found in Mexican, Argentine and Chilean cuisines. The type of alcohol used to prepare the dish varies by country and individual cook, but most recipes include tequila along with white wine or sherry. Chunks of chicken simmer in the alcohol, fully absorbing the flavor of the alcohol as they cook slowly. Chicken is usually cooked and served with olives as well.
Chinese versions of drunken chicken are typically made with a type of Chinese rice wine. In addition to wine, other spirits, such as sherry, as well as various spices and seasonings may be used. Some cooks prefer to use the wine on its own, however, especially if using aged vintage Shaoxing wine. Regardless of the recipe, in this type of drunken chicken, pieces of chicken are dipped in a rice wine-based marinade and cooked in a wok or deep skillet until done.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
