T.G.I. Friday’s Jack Daniels Sauce

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Take your chicken, pork, or steak to a new level with this sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy Jack Daniel’s Sauce. You’ll be putting it on everything!

A container of Jack daniel's Sauce with a spoon next to it.

Back when I lived in Pittsburgh I loved going to TGI Friday’s.   It was one of those places we went to when no one could decide on a restaurant because they had a little bit of everything.

My cousin introduced to the Jack Daniel’s sesame chicken strips.  The sauce was sweet, a little tart, and rich with flavor.

The sauce was totally addicting.  Between the two of us we could have easily eaten a jar of Jack Daniel’s glaze.  I don’t know what they put in it, but it’s amazing.

Ingredients:

  • garlic
  • water
  • pineapple juice
  • soy sauce
  • brown sugar
  • lemon juice
  • onion
  • Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
  • pineapple
  • ginger
  • red pepper
  • black pepper
  • cornstarch

To Make the Sauce:  The first thing you need to do is roast the garlic.  Then combine the water, pineapple juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 1 minute then reduce head to medium low.  Squeeze roasted garlic into the pan along with lemon juice, onion, whiskey, pineapple, ginger, and pepper.  Simmer for 1 hour or until liquid has reduced by half.

Pin Image: A top view of a container filled with Jack Daniel's Sauce, text title, a cutting board with a can of pineapple, a bottle of lemon juice, a bag of brown sugar, a bottle of soy sauce, and a bottle of whiskey on it.

A few months ago I saw a copycat recipe for the Jack Daniel’s glaze and was stoked.  I wanted to make it and try it on chicken strips to see if it tasted the same as it did at the restaurant.

I didn’t end up making it right away because I could never remember to buy pineapple juice at the store.  I finally bought the juice and made the sauce the day before I was going to use it.

Just the smell of it cooking on the stove was enough to make my mouth water.  I quickly tasted it before I put it in the jar and I practically swooned.

Can I roast a head of garlic in an air fryer?

You use the same method as described below.   Clean off the papery part of the garlic, cut off the top, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap in foil.  Put the air fryer on 375 degrees, make sure the garlic is at least 2-3 inches from the top of the air fryer, and roast for 25-30 minutes.

Can I use the juice from a can of pineapple?

Yes!  I often just use the juice from the pineapple can since you need pineapple anyhow.  I usually have a little less than a cup so you can just add water to make up the difference.

Can I use a different whiskey?

You can.   It’s called Jack Daniel’s Sauce because that’s what is used at the restaurant but any whiskey will work.  I’ve actually used Jim Bean bourbon in place of the whiskey as well and it works just fine as well.

How do I store the sauce?

Keep the sauce in a mason jar or other air tight container in the refrigerator.  It will last  for up to 3 weeks.

A spoon dripping Jack Daniel's Sauce into a container of sauce.

I ended up using the sauce as both a glaze for the chicken strips and as a dipping sauce. I think it would work well with shrimp, steak, or ribs as well.

My husband wasn’t sure if he would like it because of the amount of brown sugar in the recipe but he ended up saying how good it was and how he’d like to have it on shrimp next time.  The recipe is easily doubled and can be kept in the refrigerator.

More Delicious Sauce Recipes:

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A top view of a container filled with Jack Daniel's Sauce.
A container of Jack daniel's Sauce with a spoon next to it.

Jack Daniel's Sauce

Yield: 2 cups
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Take your chicken, pork, or steak to a new level with this sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy Jack Daniel's Sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 head garlic, roasted
  • ⅔ c. water
  • 1 c. pineapple juice
  • ¼ c. soy sauce
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 Tablespoons white onion, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons Jack Daniels Whiskey
  • 1 Tablespoons pineapple, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 c. water

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the top off of a head of garlic so that the cloves are exposed.  Peel off any papery layers on the garlic.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cover with foil and roast for 45
    minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, pineapple
    juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil, stirring
    occasionally.  Boil for 1 minute then reduce head to medium low.
  3. Squeeze the garlic cloves out and into the saucepan.  Throw away the skins.
  4. Whisk in the lemon juice, onion, whiskey, pineapple, ginger, red pepper, and black pepper.
  5. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, or until the liquid has reduced by half.
  6. In a small bowl combine the water and cornstarch.  Mix well and then add to the saucepan.  Stir.
  7. Heat over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
  8. Store in a sealed container for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

Notes

Recipe from Sunny Side Up blog

A spoonful of Jack Daniel's Sauce above a container of the sauce.

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