Bourbon Chicken
This bourbon chicken is so delicious and flavorful you won’t believe that it takes less than 30 minutes to throw together!
You guys, this bourbon chicken is so delicious, you won’t believe it takes less than 30 minutes to throw together.
It is a complete lifesaver on those weeknights when you have neither time nor energy but hungry mouths are still clamoring for dinner to get on the table ASAP (sigh, no rest for the hardworking home cook).
Oh, and PS, there is no bourbon in the recipe so no worries if that had you concerned (don’t ask me why it is named what it is; I don’t ask questions when something is as fantastic as this meal).
The chicken is slightly crispy on the outside and perfectly tender on the inside and the sauce is the a wonderful balance of sweet, tangy and a teensy bit of spice.
I’ve gushed before about Brian’s adoration of his beloved sweet and sour chicken. If it is any indication, this much faster saucy-chicken-over-rice-type-of-meal takes a very close second. Or in other words: bourbon chicken rocks.
FAQs for Bourbon Chicken
Nope, that just the name of the recipe!
I don’t usually measure- but its about 1/3 cup.
What to Serve With This
- Fresh fruit or green salad
- Buttery Peas with Thyme
- Simple Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
Bourbon Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons canola, vegetable or coconut oil
- Cornstarch for dusting the chicken pieces
Sauce:
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup apple juice + 1/2 cup water, or sub out the apple juice and water for 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch, optional – helps thicken the sauce a little bit more
Instructions
- In a gallon-sized ziploc bag, toss the chicken pieces with a couple tablespoons of cornstarch.
- Whisk all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- In a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until hot and rippling. Cook half of the chicken in a single layer for 30 seconds or so on each side until golden brown but not all the way cooked through. Lift the chicken pieces out of the skillet to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken, also removing it to a plate.
- Wipe any excess oil out of the skillet and return it to medium heat. Pour in the sauce and add the chicken pieces. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly (don’t overcook the chicken or it might be dry).
- Serve the chicken and sauce over hot, cooked rice or quinoa.
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Blog Chef
Awesome recipe!
I make this all the time! It’s one of our family favorites. We will be eating if for dinner tonight 🙂
So amazing and tender and quick to make!
When going light on the red pepper and ginger, it tastes just like the Bourbon Street chicken at Golden Corral.
Great recipe! Made this tonight for my 15 year old son and me. He loved it, and didn’t give me the usual barrage of picky questions about ingredients. LOL I used the 1/4 tsp. of crushed red pepper flakes, but I couldn’t taste it (and neither did he! haha), so next time I will try the 1/2 tsp. Everything in this recipe turned out perfectly.
From one Mel to another, seriously, thank you for this recipe!! Made it for dinner tonight. I’m pregnant and nothing has tasted good for weeks!! This was absolutely delicious and everyone loved it, and so easy!
Hi Mel! I love that this recipe is super easy and yummy. I was wondering if this meal could me formatted into a slow cooker meal. If so, do you have any recommendations as to how to do that? Thank you!!!!
Not really sure to be honest but you might try using the sauce in the slow cooker with raw chicken and see how it goes. Good luck!
Yum! We love the sweet and sour chicken recipe but I rarely make it because it is time consuming. With 4 little ones around a quick dinner is a must. This was delicious. My kids all gobbled theirs up and my picky eater asked for seconds. Thank you!!
4 little ones? Hmm, you’ve been “busy”
What was the purpose behind this rude response?
Hmm, what a strange thing to choose to say to somebody!
My family loves this recipe!! We have made it every other week ever since I found it. Thanks, Mel. Love your site!
We love this recipe and have been making it for some time! I was so glad you suggested the chicken broth in place of the apple juice. We always liked it, but that little change made it even tastier!
Oh, and even my 2 and 3 year old picky eaters like this one!
My family LOVES your sweet and sour chicken recipe, but during the week it’s kind of too much to do. I saw this recipe on your site and decided to try it last night and it was GREAT! My whole family loved it and although it is a “stand-alone” recipe, the tastes were very similar to the sweet and sour chicken we love. I will be making this again for sure!
I am a recipe following gal, to a fault. About how much cornstarch do you put in the bag?
Thanks!
Amy – Never measured but probably 1/3 cup or so.
Excellent recipe! My husband told me to hold onto the recipe. Similar to sweet and sour chicken. Next time I make it I will take out the crushed pepper because although the kids liked it they thought it was a little spicy.
This was so delicious! I’ve got the pickiest 7 year old in the world and he was so upset that I made this for dinner. He said, “I hope this isn’t too gross” as he put the fork in his mouth. Wish I had a picture because instead of gagging, his eyes bugged out of his head and he exclaimed, “mmmmm!” Thank you, thank you, thank you!
SCORE!!! made this tonight and it was a total hit. my husband’s exact words: “out of all the chicken-y dishes you make, this is by far my favorite.” this will for sure be worked into the normal rotation. thanks!
You’re right Mel, this recipe just keeps on giving! My goodness, it rivals any Asian restaurant bourbon chicken except that it is fresher and much healthier. I finally found an Asian recipe that isn’t too difficult or time consuming, and tastes great, thanks to Mel. Everyone loves this and I actually follow the recipe exactly and it turns out perfect. Have with rice and broccoli, or mixed veggies. My son, a big city foodie wanted the recipe even. Next to try is your famous sweet and sour chicken. Thanks so much for all your hard work on this blog Mel!
I tried it and yes it was a hit! I had to eat less because my daughter asked if she can have left over for her lunch to bring to school! I doubled the sauce and extend the chicken in the oven for few minutes to brown it a bit more! Glad I found this site and will be trying more of your tested recipes 🙂 thank you mel 🙂
Loved this recipe. I didn’t have apple juice so I used bourbon I had left over from another recipe, it was amazing!! I will make this again and double/triple the recipe for leftovers!
This is a great recipe. My whole family loves it.
This was delicious! It was sweet with a kick, one of my favorite flavor combinations. I served it over rice and could have just poured the sauce over more rice and devoured it, the sauce was so good! This was on par with your amazing sweet and sour chicken, thanks mel!
This was amazing! My husband loved it, too. We’ve been married about a year, and there’s only a handful of “keeper” recipes that he raves about. Happily, most of them are from you, so I give you the credit. 🙂 Thank you for all of the hard work and the delicious recipes. This really was so easy and yummy (and filling! My husband is 6’8″ and sometimes it takes a lot of food to fill him!) 🙂 Thank you, Mel.
Oh. My. Goodness! I made this for dinner tonight and it is amazing! And it’s so easy! I can see why it’s one of your husband’s favorite. It’s one of mine now too!
Woooow! This recipe was SO easy and so good! I’m a college student, so I’m always looking for recipes that are relatively inexpensive and quick to whip up. Didn’t have apple juice, but the sauce was delicious anyway! I served it with rice and steamed veggies. The roommates will love it. 🙂
I had been so anxious to try this, but sadly I didn’t love it. My sauce was quite soupy even after simmering much longer than suggested. I added a little cornstarch at the end but was hesitant to add too much ~ it still looked nothing like your photo. Where’d I go wrong? Without a thickner, the only thing I can think to do is boil it away longer. Simmering for 10 minutes didn’t cut it.
Scout – not sure what you did wrong. Sorry it didn’t work! Cornstarch, to thicken, needs to be dissolved in a cold liquid first before being added to the sauce to simmer so you might try that next time.
Madeline, I don’t ever put salt and pepper on it. Not that I’m Mel, but I think it tastes AMAZING without it! 😉 Hope that helps. Mel, sorry to step on your toes! Just made this again after not making it for about a year. WHY have I not been making it more?! hahaha
I am making the Bourbon Chicken tonight. I have a question for you.. Do you put salt & pepper on the chicken before dusting it with the cornstarch?
Thanks, Madeline
Another home-run hit! My hubby and all three kids loved this meal as they do all of your recipes that I’ve tried so far. It was a little more time consuming and messy than I would prefer, but it was definitely worth it! This would also be great with a mix of Asian-style veggies. A keeper for sure. Thanks, Mel.
We had this for dinner tonight and it was delish! After frying the chicken I sauteed a ton of veggies (broccoli, carrot, celery, onion, green peppers) then added the chicken and the sauce in and it was great! I love your sweet n sour chicken but this recipe is my new “restaurant chicken” fav because it was so easy! Thanks for another delicious recipe Mel! Don’t know what I would do without this blog…pretty sure my family would starve 🙂
So I don’t have apple juice, but I do have everything else. Do you think it would still be okay if I used applesauce instead of apple juice? 🙂
Salem – I wouldn’t use applesauce. I think it might create weird texture issues. Try subbing in extra chicken broth or even water.
This was the best thing I have ever made! No joke. My kids were freaking out they liked it so much. Next time I’m doubling the recipe because it was gone in a flash. Thanks so much for your website. It’s been just what I needed to get out of my cooking rut.
This was soooo good! It was a little spicy for the kids but it was the perfect amount of spice for me! I made a few substitutions, I didn’t have any apple juice, so I used juicy juice tropical juice and I used coconut vinegar instead of cider vinegar. It turned out amazing!