This easy bourbon chicken is the perfect combination of sweet, savory, and tangy. The chicken pieces are coated in a sticky glaze made with bourbon whiskey, just like your favorite Chinese takeout!
Chinese Bourbon Chicken
This easy bourbon chicken recipe is the perfect example of the magic that happens when sweet and salty come together.
This deliciously sticky sauce is made up of brown sugar, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, ketchup, rice vinegar, and, of course, a cup of bourbon whiskey! It’s the perfect medley for a flavorful chicken dish.
Serve your sticky bourbon chicken over white rice for a perfectly complete meal. You and the whole family won’t be able to get enough of the juicy chicken and its delicious sauce!
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How to Make Bourbon Chicken
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Dice the chicken breasts and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the bourbon sauce ingredients.
- Heat olive oil and sesame oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
- Add the diced chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
- Add the bourbon sauce mixture and bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, make a cornstarch slurry. Then add it to the pan, stirring until the sauce has thickened.
- Garnish the chicken with green onions and serve over rice. Enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: I used chicken breasts, but you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead.
- Bourbon: There is bourbon in this recipe that cooks down in the sauce. However, if you prefer to omit the bourbon, you can use apple juice instead. It has a very similar flavor profile once cooked.
- Cornstarch: The cornstarch slurry is what thickens the sauce – don’t skip it.
Bourbon chicken is a popular Cajun-Chinese fusion dish consisting of diced chicken cooked in a sauce made from Bourbon, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, and spices. It is named for both Bourbon Street in New Orleans and because it contains Bourbon whiskey.
Bourbon chicken is a great source of protein, but it is also high in sodium and cholesterol, so it is best enjoyed in moderation.
Bourbon chicken is sweet, savory, smoky, and a little bit spicy. The Bourbon adds a rich depth of flavor that makes the sauce extra delicious.
Unfortunately, this Bourbon chicken recipe is not naturally gluten-free. To make it gluten-free, swap the soy sauce for an equal amount of tamari or coconut aminos.
Yes, this recipe calls for ⅓ cup of Bourbon. While most of that cooks off, there may still be some residual alcohol in the dish, so I would suggest skipping it if you are pregnant or abstaining. You could also swap the alcohol for apple juice, but the flavor will be slightly different.
The best Bourbon for Bourbon chicken is your favorite Bourbon. Really, any Bourbon will work in this recipe, but I recommend choosing one you like the taste of!
As a general rule, every 1 cup of raw rice will yield 3 cups of cooked rice. To get 4 cups of cooked rice, you will need 1⅓ cups of raw/uncooked rice.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Don’t overcrowd the chicken in the pan, or it won’t get that nice brown sear. Cook in batches if needed.
- Feel free to add siracha, red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper for a kick of heat.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can dice the chicken and mix together the sauce ingredients up to 1 day in advance. Store in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover Bourbon chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet set over medium heat or in the microwave in 30-second bursts until warmed through.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze Bourbon chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Substitutions
- You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts.
- In place of the fresh ginger, you can use ¼ teaspoon ground ginger.
- In place of the fresh garlic, you can use ¾ teaspoon ground garlic.
- Feel free to leave out the red pepper flakes for a less spicy dish.
- For a gluten-free dish, swap the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos.
- If you want to keep this dish alcohol-free, you can use apple juice in place of the Bourbon.
- If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can use white or apple cider vinegar.
- If you don’t have sesame oil, use more olive oil.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this with white rice, but you can also serve it with brown rice, noodles, or sautéed or steamed vegetables (like zucchini, bok choy, broccoli, or cauliflower rice).
#1 Bourbon Chicken Tip
Do not crowd the pan with chicken. It will cause the chicken to steam instead of browning it. If you don’t have a large skillet, you can cook the chicken in 2 batches. Cook half of the chicken and then remove it to a plate, add the other half of the chicken, and brown. Once finished, add the first half of the chicken back to the skillet and continue with step 5.
Ready to dive into this sticky bourbon chicken? You won’t want to miss out on this delicious dish! Whether you serve it over a bed of white rice or with fresh steamed veggies, it’ll taste fantastic either way. Enjoy!
Bourbon Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce (see note)
- ⅓ cup bourbon
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in ¼ cup cold water, for the cornstarch slurry
For Serving:
- 4 cups cooked rice
- chopped green onions
Instructions
- Dice the chicken breasts and set aside.1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- In a small bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, black pepper, onion powder, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, bourbon, ketchup, water, rice vinegar, and brown sugar. Set aside.1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger, 3 cloves garlic, ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce, ⅓ cup bourbon, ¼ cup ketchup, ½ cup water, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, ½ cup brown sugar
- Heat the olive oil and sesame oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet.½ tablespoon olive oil, ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- Add the diced chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
- Add the bourbon sauce mixture and bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and ¼ cup cold water.1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the pan and stir until the sauce has thickened.
- Serve the chicken over rice and garnish with green onions, if desired.4 cups cooked rice, chopped green onions
Notes
- Soy Sauce: Use an equal amount of tamari or coconut aminos for a gluten-free alternative.
- You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts.
- In place of the fresh ginger, you can use ¼ teaspoon ground ginger.
- In place of the fresh garlic, you can use ¾ teaspoon ground garlic.
- Feel free to leave out the red pepper flakes for a less spicy dish.
- If you want to keep this dish alcohol-free, you can use apple juice in place of the Bourbon.
- If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can use white or apple cider vinegar.
- If you don’t have sesame oil, use more olive oil.
- Don’t overcrowd the chicken in the pan; if needed, cook in batches.
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