This bourbon chicken recipe is a remake of the food court classic. The chicken is coated in an irresistible sweet and sticky sauce and is sure to become a family favorite!
I’m all about making my favorite restaurant meals at home. My family loves when I cook beef and broccoli stir fry, homemade egg rolls, and this easy bourbon chicken.
Bourbon chicken is one of those dishes that always seems to pop up in the mall food courts. It actually originated in New Orleans and is named both for Bourbon Street and for the bourbon in the sauce, even though it has a decidedly Asian flavor. Whatever the origins, it’s totally delicious and super easy to make at home!
How do you make bourbon chicken?
To make bourbon chicken, you’ll need chicken and a handful of pantry ingredients to make the sauce. I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe, just because that’s the way I’ve always had it in restaurants. You can also use boneless skinless chicken breast chunks if you prefer. The sauce looks like a long ingredient list, but you most likely already have all the ingredients in your kitchen.
Bourbon chicken couldn’t be any easier to make – simply saute the chicken to a deep golden brown, pour the sauce over the top, and simmer. That’s all there is to it! I like to serve my bourbon chicken over rice, and I start steaming the rice before I cook the chicken so that everything is done at the same time. Add a green veggie (broccoli in my house) and dinner is served!
Does bourbon chicken contain bourbon?
This recipe does call for bourbon, hence the name. The alcohol evaporates as the sauce simmers, but if you prefer not to use alcohol, you can substitute apple juice and it’ll still be delicious. I’ve made it both ways and they’re honestly both great.
My kids even love this bourbon chicken, there’s just something about that sweet and sticky sauce that’s totally irresistible!
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Bourbon Chicken Video
Bourbon Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup bourbon apple juice can be substituted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onions optional
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the chicken in the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked through. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds.
- While the chicken is cooking. In a medium bowl whisk together the bourbon, brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, water, soy sauce and cornstarch.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
- Sprinkle with green onions and serve immediately, over rice if desired.
Rick Brown says
Fantastic! Made it with apple juice instead of bourbon. My 8-year-old said it was better than China Max (the place at the mall that she likes)!! I have to agree! I served it on white rice, which was great, but next time I’ll do fried rice instead, and maybe egg rolls. Either way, this recipe is a KEEPER!!
Robert Flynn says
Made this earlier, really easy recipe and tasty, didn’t have bourbon so used whisky rye. Served over white rice.
Laurie says
Delicious! Will definitely make again! I substituted used chicken breasts, apple juice and wine. Thought I had apple cider vinegar but didn’t so I used white wine. Thank you for the recipe!
Ellen says
I made this recently and am going to make it again for dinner. The only problem I have is cleaning the chicken thighs. They have SO much fat and other undesirable gristle and takes me forever to cut into pieces that we like. (NO FAT). I’m tempted to use chicken breasts next time, but unsure if they will fall apart once cooked. The thighs stay together and I love the cooked texture. Any ideas how to clean and cut up boneless, skinless chicken thighs easily???
Sara says
You can use breasts if you prefer, they won’t fall apart. I use kitchen shears to cut the fat away from the chicken!
Robert Corrie says
I made this for dinner and my wife and I ate it up. She orders this at restaurants and likes this one the same.
Stacey says
Loved it. Thanks for the great recipe. Used vegetable broth instead of water as I needed to use it up. Just the right seasoning. Will definitely make again.
Alison says
Hi Sara can I make this dish with chicken breast instead and also your sweet n sour with chick breasts? Thank you
Sara says
Yes that will work just fine!
Julie says
Delicious! Just made this today and made fried rice to serve it on. I used apple juice and the sweetness was just right. Our food court still has this dish, so it was very nice to replicate it at home, too! Thank you.
Linda says
I have just made this chicken, I found it a little too sweet for my liking, but loved how easy it was to make so will do it again with less brown sugar.
Anita Paton says
This is our favorite week night dinner. I added fresh ginger to the recipe.
Jen says
I was going to make this for a wedding buffet. have you ever made it in advance and frozen it? Or how long can it stay in the fridge?
Sara says
It can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days before you plan to serve it! I think it would be fine to freeze too, although the sauce will be thinner upon thawing so you may need to add some cornstarch to thicken it up a bit.
Liliana de meo says
Hi, I’ve been wanting to make this dish for some time. Amazing!! The bourbon was a great accent! This dish is easy and Delicious. Will be making this often. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Sara says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
Donna says
First time making Bourbon Chicken. It was amazing. I didn’t have bourbon or apple juice. I used unsweetened applesauce instead. Also used breasts instead of thighs. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Sara says
So glad to hear it was a hit, I appreciate you coming back to comment!