Bourbon Chicken

This delicious and easy Bourbon Chicken recipe combines golden browned bites of chicken breast and sweet sticky bourbon sauce with a hint of spice.  The simple glaze is whipped up in a bowl and cooked down in the same pan the chicken was browned in making it an easy one skillet supper.

Chances are pretty good that you may have tried Bourbon chicken at the one of your local restaurants or even Applebees.  It is a delicious restaurant choice but you can easily make this at home. You can serve over rice or for a low carb meal over Zucchini Noodles.

Is Bourbon Chicken Chinese or Cajun?

There seems to be much debate about this.  Some people swear it originated in New Orleans on Bourbon Street but just as many folks from that area claim that is not the case at all.  Some people believe that it originated in Kentucky where many of the bourbon distilleries are located. This dish has noticeably more Chinese flare than Cajun spunk.  The only thing really Cajun about Bourbon chicken is a couple pinches of crushed red pepper. While this debate may never be answered definitively there is no question that it is a delectable effortless way to make mouthwatering chicken.

 

How do you make Bourbon Chicken?

First in a medium bowl combine cider vinegar, bourbon, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, chicken broth and cornstarch.  Set this aside for just a few minutes.

Next in a large skillet heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Brown the chicken pieces in a single layer with some space between them. Turn the pieces over as they brown.  This usually takes several minutes depending on the size of the chicken pieces.  Once browned on both sides move to a large plate.

Reduce the heat to low and add another tablespoon of oil. Feel free to change to olive oil at this point.  Add the minced garlic and grated ginger stirring constantly so it will not burn.  Cook for a little less than one minute. Whisk the bourbon/soy mixture one last time and pour it in the skillet. Bring the sauce to a low boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes adding the chicken back to the skillet after about 1-2 minutes.  Stir the chicken into the sauce and let it finish simmering.  Top with thin slices of green onion and crushed red pepper flakes to taste.  Serve over rice, Chinese noodles or spiralized zucchini noodles.

Tips for making Bourbon Chicken

• Cut your chicken in small thin bite size pieces so they cook quickly.  Think of what they will look like on the end of a set of chop sticks.
• Do not get hung up on the Bourbon or whiskey bandwagon.  Either one will work.
• You can leave the chicken in the skillet while you add the ginger, garlic and sauce. However I usually find that is overcooked by then so I like to remove it to a plate. After all it only takes a couple of minutes.
• Mix all your ingredients for your sauce in a bowl as written in the recipe.  Do not add the whiskey or the bourbon to the pan on its own.  Some alcohol vapors are flammable so play it safe.
• For a lower carb version of this recipe reduce brown sugar to 2 tablespoons, use sugar free ketchup and serve over zucchini noodles with fresh broccoli.
• If you like lots of flavor consider substituting barbecue sauce for the ketchup.
• You can substitute water for the chicken broth if needed.
• My family loves a lot of sauce so I always double the sauce portion of this recipe.
• The sauce will thicken a little more as it cools.

Other delicious stir fried recipes you will love!

• Chicken Chow Mein
• One Skillet Pepper Steak
• Easy Basic Chicken Stir Fry
• Easy Beef and Broccoli Skillet
• Sweet and Sour Key Lime Pork

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