Bourbon Chicken

All the sticky sweetness of your favorite bourbon chicken takeout in just 25 from stovetop to table.

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This delicious bourbon chicken recipe is a play on the classic takeout favorite. It has a sweet and tangy sauce that coats the juicy chicken just perfectly to make a quick and simple dish to feed the whole family. Looking for some other dishes full of Asian flavor? You have got to try our better than takeout fried rice. I also love our orange chicken, since it’s a great recipe I can make in the crockpot.

Bourbon Chicken Ingredients

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You’ll need:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon of pepper
• ½ teaspoon of onion powder
• ¼ cup of apple juice
• ¼ cup of ketchup
• ½ cup of soy sauce
• ¼ cup of water
• ⅔ cup of light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon of ground ginger
• 3 teaspoons of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of cornstarch
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes (optional)
• Sliced green onions (for garnish)

PRO TIP:

If you have bourbon on hand, replace ¼ cup apple juice with ¼ cup of bourbon.

Substitutions And Additions

BOURBON: The marinade-style sauce does typically have bourbon in the recipe, which lends itself to the name—though it is also named for its real origin, New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street. If you do have bourbon at home, you can easily substitute it for apple juice. If you do use bourbon, the alcohol will evaporate off as the sauce simmers, so it is fine for the entire family.

MEAT: This recipe uses boneless chicken breasts. However, if you prefer a more tender cut, you can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Shrimp is also a great substitution for chicken.

SEASONING: Red pepper flakes are a wonderful addition to this recipe if you like a bit of kick. Add between ⅛ to ¼ teaspoons when making the sauce, depending on how much spice you like. Another option would be to add in a bit of Siracha for some extra heat.

How To Make This Bourbon Chicken Recipe

STEP ONE: Chop the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and pat them dry with a paper towel. Toss the chicken in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.

STEP TWO: In a large skillet over medium heat, add sesame oil. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink. Drain all the juices from the pan. Return the skillet to the stove and continue to cook the chicken over medium heat until the chicken is browned, and the bottom of your skillet is browned as well.

STEP THREE: In a medium bowl, combine pepper, onion powder, apple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, ground ginger, minced garlic, water, and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Whisk together.

STEP FOUR: Once the chicken is browned, add your sauce mixture. Using a spoon, deglaze the bottom of the pan and make sure to get all of the browned bits up and off of the bottom of the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil.

STEP FIVE: Once the sauce is boiling, turn the heat down to low and allow it to simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often.

STEP SIX: Once the sauce is done simmering, remove it from the heat and allow it to sit for 5 minutes to thicken.

STEP SEVEN: Serve over white rice and enjoy.

How To Make Crockpot Bourbon Chicken

To make this easy bourbon chicken in the crockpot, you’ll want to follow all of the instructions with just a few minor changes for the slow cooker version:

• You will use half the amounts of the recipe sauce ingredients because they won’t cook down as well in a crockpot as they do in the skillet.
• After cooking the chicken, place it (along with the sauce) in the crockpot and cook on low for about 5 hours.
• Add in the last teaspoon of cornstarch and cook on high for 30 more minutes.

How To Serve

I always serve this flavorful chicken dish over a big bed of jasmine rice. In my opinion, no Asian-inspired dinner is ever a complete meal without rice! Check out our Instant pot brown rice recipe for another solid choice. However, you could also try this over noodles, zucchini noodles, or over a big bed of mixed veggies.

MORE CHICKEN RECIPES

Chicken Dinner Ideas

Beer Marinated Chicken

Chicken Dinner Ideas

Tuscan Chicken

Storage

IN THE FRIDGE: Store any leftovers of this sticky bourbon chicken recipe in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

IN THE FREEZER: You can freeze bourbon chicken for up to a month in an airtight container.

You are never going to order Chinese food takeout again after this, it’s seriously that good. I love the tangy sweetness of the bourbon sauce. It hits the spot every single time. This is definitely one of my favorites!

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Bourbon Chicken

5 from 6 votes

All the sticky sweetness of your favorite bourbon chicken takeout in just 25 from stovetop to table.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 5

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ cup apple juice
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup water
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoons cornstarch + 1 teaspoon
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

 

• Chop chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and pat dry with a paper towel. Toss chicken in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, add sesame oil. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink. Drain all juices from the pan. Return the skillet to the stove and continue to cook the chicken over medium heat until the chicken is browned, and the bottom of your skillet is "browned" as well.
• In a medium bowl, combine pepper, onion powder, apple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, ground ginger, minced garlic, water, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Whisk together.
• Once the chicken is browned, add your sauce mixture. Using a spoon, deglaze the bottom of the pan and make sure to get all of the browned bits up and off of the bottom of the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil.
• Once the sauce is boiling, turn the heat down to low and allow it to simmer 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often.
• Once the sauce is done simmering, remove it from heat and allow it to sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
• Serve over white rice and enjoy.

Notes

• Use as large a skillet pan as you have to allow the chicken to brown easily.
• To keep this recipe at a quick prep and cook time, you’ll want to be sure that your chicken is fully thawed before you begin cooking it.
• If you have bourbon on hand, replace ¼ cup apple juice with ¼ cup of bourbon.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 1625mg | Potassium: 823mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg

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