Bourbon Chicken is made with tender juicy chicken thighs and is smothered in a slightly sweet and smokey bourbon, soy and brown sugar sauce. Just like your favorite food court meal!
You guys, this Bourbon Chicken packs one heck of a punch of flavor. Anytime we are looking for a super flavorful chicken recipe, this is one of my favorites to whip up.
Bourbon Chicken is pretty popular in the South and can be found in many mall food courts. You’ll find it at Cajun-themed restaurants and you can even get a big ol’ scoop of it from the Chinese joints
I’m not sure if it’s like that everywhere but it’s very common to find down South, and for good reason! It is super flavorful, easy and once you start you don’t want to stop.
The food court places always use juicy chicken thighs so when I wanted to create my own version of this takeout recipe, I knew that was the cut of chicken I wanted to give a go first.
Let me tell you it did not disappoint and this is the only way we will make it now! This is one of my husband’s most request dinner time recipes, and for good reason!
This is SOOOOOO good, I was shocked at how good it was honestly. It is super close to the mall Bourbon Chicken, but the sauce is a little thicker to my preference.
Again, food court Bourbon Chicken varies from mall to mall so some sauce has been thinner and some thicker. But this homemade Bourbon Chicken is where it’s at and the closest I have come to recreating the iconic dish!
Some of our other favorite chicken recipe we have on our site include: Honey Pepper Chicken Mac and Cheese, Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches, and Smothered Chicken.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- This Bourbon Chicken packs a punch of flavor that you can’t get enough of.
- A relatively quick recipe ready in about 40 minutes.
- Very hearty and filling, a little goes a long way!
- This can be doubled to serve more people.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM)
Boneless skinless chicken thighs
Cornstarch
Kosher salt
Pepper
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Vegetable oil
Garlic
Apple juice
Unsalted chicken stock
Bourbon
Low sodium soy sauce
Ground ginger
Water
Green onions
HOW TO MAKE BOURBON CHICKEN, STEP BY STEP
- Start by cutting up the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and placing them in a zippered top, gallon-sized plastic bag.
- Next, add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, kosher salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Then zip the bag closed and shake the ingredients around until the chicken is well coated.
- Over medium heat, heat a large skillet on the stove. Then add half of the oil. Once it’s hot, sear the chicken in 2 batches, working until cooked through. Place the cooked chicken on a plate and add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Add the garlic directly to the skillet and cook for about 30 seconds, or until just fragrant. Add in the apple juice, chicken stock, bourbon, and soy sauce and stir to combine.
- Next, add the brown sugar and ground ginger to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Whisk together the water and remaining 2 tablespoons of cornstarch until dissolved in a small mixing bowl. Slowly pour in the cornstarch slurry while whisking it in until combined.
- Then, add the chicken back to the skillet and coat in the sauce.
- Finally, bring it to a simmer and simmer for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and add scallions if desired.
WHY IS IT CALLED BOURBON CHICKEN?
This recipe is called Bourbon Chicken for 2 reasons. The recipe came from a place on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana which was where the original bane came from!
It’s also made with Bourbon in the ingredients and is commonly found in restaurants that serve Cajun food and can even be found in many Chinese restaurants.
DOES BOURBON CHICKEN CONTAIN ALCOHOL?
Yes, Bourbon is one of the ingredients in the Bourbon sauce. Bourbon is similar to whiskey and contains alcohol. However, like many recipes that cook with alcohol, the alcohol content gets reduced or diminished as the sauce cooks down and simmers.
It still contains alcohol but it is considered to be a safe amount to consume. I would consider this a more of an adult dish, as when we make it it is usually for adults anyways.
WHAT CAN I ADD TO THE SAUCE?
If you want to add some heat to this amazing sauce, add some crushed red pepper flakes or some sriracha sauce.
You can also add more bourbon if you want more of a bourbon flavor, or more apple juice if you want less of a bourbon taste and more than just subtle apple flavoring.
HOW TO STORE:
Bourbon Chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop, add a little more chicken stock if it is too thick.
This can also be frozen, make sure the recipe cools completely before storing it in a freezer-safe container where it will keep for up to 3 months.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs. Traditionally, mall food court Bourbon Chicken was only made with chicken thighs when I have had it.
- You can substitute a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger for the ground ginger. I recommend cooking it along with the garlic.
- This is so versatile, you can serve it over rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta! Any way you like it, go for it!
- This recipe makes a lot of sauce to pour over your rice, etc. If you donโt like as much sauce, just halve the garlic, apple juice, chicken stock, bourbon, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and water, and use just 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to make the slurry. Personally, I find that no one can get enough of this sauce and leave the recipe as it is!
- If you donโt want to use bourbon, use more apple juice to replace it. It really doesnโt taste like bourbon at all, it just gives complexity to the flavor.
- This can easily be doubled to serve more people.
- You can freeze this recipe, see above on how to do that.
Looking for an extremely flavorful chicken dish that is just like your favorite takeout? This Bourbon Chicken is absolutely incredible and one you will love.
IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
If you’ve tried this BOURBON CHICKEN or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Bourbon Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch divided
- ยพ teaspoon kosher salt
- ยฝ teaspoon black pepper
- ยฝ teaspoon onion powder
- ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ยฝ cup apple juice
- ยฝ cup unsalted chicken stock
- ยฝ cup bourbon
- ยผ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ยพ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 tablespoons water
- Green onions thinly sliced for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Start by cutting up the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and placing them in a zippered top, gallon-sized plastic bag.
- Next, add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, kosher salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Then zip the bag closed and shake the ingredients around until the chicken is well coated.
- Over medium heat, heat a large skillet on the stove. Then add half of the oil. Once it's hot, sear the chicken in 2 batches, working until cooked through. Place the cooked chicken on a plate and add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Add the garlic directly to the skillet and cook for about 30 seconds, or until just fragrant. Add in the apple juice, chicken stock, bourbon, and soy sauce and stir to combine.
- Add the brown sugar and ground ginger to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Whisk together the water and remaining 2 tablespoons of cornstarch until dissolved in a small mixing bowl. Slowly pour in the cornstarch slurry while whisking it in until combined.
- Then, add the chicken back to the skillet and coat in the sauce.
- Finally, bring it to a simmer and simmer for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and add scallions if desired.
Notes
- You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs. Traditionally, mall food court Bourbon Chicken was only made with chicken thighs when I have had it.
- You can substitute a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger for the ground ginger. I recommend cooking it along with the garlic.
- This is so versatile, you can serve it over rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta! Any way you like it, go for it!
- This recipe makes a lot of sauce to pour over your rice, etc. If you donโt like as much sauce, just halve the garlic, apple juice, chicken stock, bourbon, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and water, and use just 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to make the slurry. Personally, I find that no one can get enough of this sauce and leave the recipe as it is!
- If you donโt want to use bourbon, use more apple juice to replace it. It really doesnโt taste like bourbon at all, it just gives complexity to the flavor.
- This can easily be doubled to serve more people.
- You can freeze this recipe, see above on how to do that.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
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