Kahlua Chicken is a simple grilled chicken using Kahlua coffee liqueur and boneless, skinless chicken breasts. It’s fantastic if it’s marinated, but also great if just brushed on before and during grilling.
It’s Kahlua.
It’s chicken.
It’s Kahlua Chicken.
Everybody’s favorite poultry gets to have a little booze.
What is Kahlua Chicken?
I have this big bottle of Kahlua that I bought in Mexico a while back, and since I’m not a huge fan of candy-sweet cocktails, I’ve tried to make use of it in other ways.
With its milky texture and unique coffee and rum flavor, Kahlua seems a likely candidate to flavor chicken.
So, since I see it sitting in the cabinet all lonely, I decided to find a way to incorporate it into a recipe or two.
This is the first one.
As you can see I like mine with some very nice grill marks.
Next time I’ll be using this marinade on some broccoli; it’s that good.
I have a feeling this would be great with grilled pineapple on top and served alongside couscous.
Other Ways to Serve Kahlua Chicken –
- With wild rice and roasted brussels sprouts
- On whipped cauliflower with grilled asparagus
- Sliced over a big green salad with feta cheese and Raspberry Vinaigrette
- Sliced and wrapped in a tortilla with avocado ranch and arugula
Here’s your printable!
Kahlua Chicken

Ingredients
- Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup Kahlua
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp ginger
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
Whisk together the Kahlua through ginger.
Whisk together cornstarch and water in a separate small bowl.
Put the Kahlua mixture in a medium size sauce pan over medium-high heat.
Bring to a boil, add cornstarch/water mixture and reduce heat to medium and whisk until consistency thickens - should only take a minute or two.
Trim chicken of any fat (some people do, some people don't but it's definitely a DO for me).
Poke holes in the chicken using a fork, then put in a large plastic bag.
Pour in the marinade, seal and flip it around a couple of times to make sure it's coated.
Refrigerate and let it marinate for a couple of hours. Even if you don't have time to marinate it that long, it will still be good.
Grill (or smoke!) for a few minutes on each side, until done all the way through.
Notes
Marinate overnight for a deeper flavor.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 321Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 1839mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 0gSugar: 11gProtein: 38g
The provided nutrition calculated may not always be accurate.
This article was originally published on 3/27/2011.
24 Comments
Sandie (Sandie's Bitchin' Kitchen)
April 13, 2011 at 10:56 AMYUM!! I think I’m gonna have to get my butt to the store and buy some Kahlua!
Dawn's Diversions
April 3, 2011 at 11:55 PMI have all the makings for this and I’m rearing to use the grill.
Thanks for the great recipe. =)
Judy
March 30, 2011 at 10:55 PMAs much as I love Kahlua, I would never have thought to put it on chicken. Great idea!
Rach
March 30, 2011 at 9:00 AMOh my gracious that looks fabulous!
carolinaheartstrings
March 29, 2011 at 12:09 PMThat chicken looks heavenly and who doesn’t love a little “drunk” chicken!!!! Cannot wait to give it a try.
Hester Casey - Alchemy
March 29, 2011 at 4:25 AMKahlua? With chicken? I have got to try this unusual and imaginative recipe. The photos are grillicious.
Happy When Not Hungry
March 28, 2011 at 7:49 PMWow this chicken looks amazing! Love the Kahlua sauce. Definitely perfect for spring grilling. Yum!
Susi's Kochen und Backen
March 28, 2011 at 7:44 PMThis sounds very interesting! I have a bottle of Kahlua in the fridge and we grill a lot of chicken, this is a combination I will have to try. Thanks for sharing :o)
Mama Kelly aka Jia
March 28, 2011 at 7:25 PMIt will be a sacrifice to buy Kahlua and not drink it but if this chicken tastes half as good as it looks it may just be worth it.
Angela@RecipesFromMyMom
March 28, 2011 at 7:01 PMI want to try this and luckily we always have Kahlua on hand. Mostly for baking but the occasional drink is made too. Good recipe.
Moogie
March 28, 2011 at 6:41 PMThis looks delicious. I’ve also got a huge bottle of Kahlua. And I think the weather man is saying it this coming weekend might be rain free and warm.
I’m your newest follower.
Dixie Chik
March 28, 2011 at 6:44 PMNothing like warm weather; it’s my favorite….
Sandra@Sandra's Easy Cooking
March 28, 2011 at 6:08 PMOhh that looks awesomee!! I love anything from the grill so this is fantastic!!!
Dixie Chik
March 28, 2011 at 6:43 PMThanks Sandra!! I agree – I could grill every day!
Liz
March 28, 2011 at 4:04 PMWow I never would have thought of combining chicken and Kahlua, but it looks fabulous! Big YUM!
Tiffany
March 28, 2011 at 3:08 PMThat looks and sounds really good, different, but good! I will give it a try, a good excuse to pick up some Kahlua….
Dixie Chik
March 28, 2011 at 6:45 PMNow aren’t you glad I gave you an excuse 😉
Becky
March 28, 2011 at 2:09 PMI, too , have a bottle of Kaluha in the cabinetI’m going to try kaluha and chicken, There is always a first time for everything
Dixie Chik
March 28, 2011 at 6:45 PMThanks Becky! Hope you like it!
Becky
March 28, 2011 at 2:07 PMI, too , have a bottle of Kaluha in the cabinet. Never tried kaluha and chicken, but there is always a first time.
JenniferA
March 28, 2011 at 8:34 AMInteresting! Almost looks like it gave the chicken a barbecue sauce type of glaze. I’m not a big Kahlua fan but maybe some other booze would work nicely for me… hmmm…
Angie@Angiesrecipes
March 27, 2011 at 10:37 PMwow This is such an unique chicken recipe! Looks so good too.
Angie
Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef
March 27, 2011 at 8:59 PMThis looks devine. I’m not sure about the kahlua flavor on chicken. It was yummy??
The photos are brilliant!
Dixie Chik
March 27, 2011 at 9:17 PMThanks – Absolutely – with the other flavors I incorporated into the marinade it wasn’t too sweet, but still had a little Kahlua kick. It’s definitely something I will do on a regular basis.