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 chicken scallopini, chicken riggies, 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!
Table of Contents
Bourbon Chicken Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need boneless skinless chicken thighs, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, bourbon, brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, water, soy sauce, cornstarch and green onions.
How Do You Make Bourbon Chicken?
Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then cook it in a large skillet with a little oil until it is golden brown. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds. While the chicken is cooking, whisk together bourbon, brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, water, soy sauce and cornstarch. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken, bring to a boil and let it simmer for a few minutes until the sauce is thick. Sprinkle with green onions as a garnish, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
- Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces to make it easier to eat. I often use kitchen shears to make this job go a little smoother.
- I recommend using low sodium soy sauce so that you can control the overall salt level of the dish.
- Be sure not to overcrowd the pan when you sear your chicken. If the chicken pieces are touching, they may steam and you won’t get that great golden brown crust.
- Bourbon chicken is great when served with rice or noodles and a vegetable. Try my vegetable stir fry for an easy and delicious side dish!
- Leftovers will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also put this dish in the freezer for 2 months.
Quick Tip
No chicken thighs on hand? Boneless skinless chicken breasts will also work well.
Recipe FAQs
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.
Bourbon chicken sauce is made with bourbon, brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, water, soy sauce and cornstarch.
Bourbon chicken has a sweet and savory flavor profile. It has sweetness from the brown sugar, a savory flavor from the soy sauce, and a little tang from the vinegar.
FOLLOW ME
Flavor Variations
This recipe is delicious as written, but you can add other ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.
- Protein: Swap out the chicken thighs for other types of protein such as chicken breast, ground chicken, shrimp, pork tenderloin or flank steak.
- Vegetables: You can add some veggies to the pan after you cook your chicken and before you add the garlic. Great options include thinly sliced carrots, cauliflower, broccoli florets, zucchini or mushrooms.
- Flavorings: Feel free to add other ingredients to the sauce to amp up the flavor. Some great options include ginger, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds or a bit of toasted sesame oil.
My kids even love this chicken, there’s just something about that sweet and sticky sauce that’s totally irresistible!
More Great Chicken Recipes
Mango Chicken
30 mins
Roasted Chicken with Garlic and Herbs
1 hr 30 mins
Arroz con Pollo
1 hr 10 mins
Sesame Chicken
40 mins
Sweet and Sour Chicken
50 mins
Bourbon Chicken Video
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
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
- 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.
Notes
- Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces to make it easier to eat. I often use kitchen shears to make this job go a little smoother.
- Be sure not to overcrowd the pan when you sear your chicken. If the chicken pieces are touching, they may steam and you won’t get that great golden brown crust.
- Apple juice can be substituted for the bourbon.
Could I use chicken cutlets instead? Sounds amazing💜
Yes that would work fine!
Decent meal. Serving is more like 4, unless you’re feeding kids also. Chicken had a mild flavor, but sauce was very tasty. I would make this again.
Amazing! I chose to sub out bourbon, with apple juice. I also added in a bit extra apple juice, making thinner sauce. We couldn’t find just dark soy, at out local market. But, were able to find a dark soy with mushroom flavoring. I can tell you, this is a new reg to our family dining now. Thanks for sharing such a tasteful authentic dish recipe.
Yay so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for reporting back!
Will the sauce last in the fridge if I make it ahead of time or double the batch?
Yes that will work fine!
I am allergic to soy, do you have a replacement suggestion other than coconut amino? If not, I will just delete it and see how it tastes.
Here are a bunch of different replacement ideas for soy sauce. If you omit the soy sauce, be sure to add some salt back in – https://ritely.com/soy-sauce-substitute/
Made it with crown apple and served with vege fried rice. Awesome sauce.
So glad you enjoyed this!
I used Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey and threw in some frozen stir fry veggies since my husband loves his veggies. It came out amazing. Will be making this many more times. So quick, easy, and tasty. Thank you!
I added really thin cut celery & carrots, mushrooms & onion… I love veggies ..served over Brown rice . Smelled delicious cooking. Quick & WONDER full … thank you!!
I made this last night and my husband loved it! I used Jack Daniels in the sauce. I made brown rice with mushrooms and broccoli. Everything mixed up nicely in a bowl and it was wonderful! I like cooking with boneless thighs and have been looking for another recipe to go to. This is it!
Can we use sugar substite instead of the brown sugar? If we can, how much would we use?
I’ve never tried a sugar substitute with this recipe. I think it would depend on what kind of substitute you use, some are a 1:1 ratio, others are sweeter than real sugar. I’d recommend looking at the packaging of your substitute to see what they recommend in terms of a substitution ratio.
This was so good!
What brand of bourbon was used in this
Maker’s Mark!
How many people will it feed?
This serves 5!
Super simple! Made the sauce, but cooked it in the microwave until it bubbled. Cut the sodium by using Coconut Aminos instead of Soy Sauce. It does solidify when it is refrigerated, but that’s ok.
I can toss some rice and diced chicken with some sauce over it for a quick pack lunch for work.
Very flavorful and no alcohol taste. It’s a perfect short cut meal.
Thank you!
Where do you get the bourbon apple juice?
You either use bourbon the liquor or apple juice, depending on whether you cook with alcohol or not!
Looks delicious! What can I substitute for the apple cider vinegar? I am highly allergic to apples.
Rice vinegar or red wine vinegar would work!
I just love this recipe! I made it for dinner and everyone ate it!
Definitely making this! Looks like a real family pleaser!
Makes my mouth water just looking at this!
says per serving but how much is a serving
Approximately 1 cup!