Skillet Bourbon Chicken
This skillet bourbon chicken is such a quick and easy weeknight meal! The chicken simmers in a savory sweet-and-sour sauce (no bourbon in the recipe, despite the name!). It is fantastic served over rice with your favorite steamed veggie. Simple and so yummy!
4 Reasons I Love This Meal
I’m not sure how this recipe got its name. I’m guessing the original recipe probably included bourbon to deglaze the pan. But there is no alcohol in my recipe. Just a lot of delicious, savory flavors that makes the best skillet chicken ever.
- This recipe comes together so fast! The chicken is lightly browned and develops a tasty, light crust before simmering in the sauce.
- The flavors are sweet and tangy and so delicious. And I’m betting you probably already have all of them hanging around in your fridge and pantry.
- Talk about a perfect, family-friendly meal. This is one of my family’s favorite meals of all time. It’s popular with kids, adults, EVERYONE.
- The leftovers reheat well. I often double this recipe and my kids eat it for lunches (and, yes, second dinners) throughout the week. As long as it’s not overheated, it reheats very well.
How to Make This Bourbon Chicken
In order for this to fit into a true 30-minute window, pay attention to the following steps:
- Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper.
- Lightly dust the chicken pieces with cornstarch (this is easy to do if you put the cornstarch and chicken in a bag and toss to coat).
- Brown the chicken in a few tablespoons oil until golden. It will cook fully in a later step.
- Whisk together all the sauce ingredients.
- Combine the browned chicken and sauce in the skillet and simmer until the sauce is lightly thickened and chicken is cooked through.
Serve this delectable, saucy chicken over rice with a steamed veggie. BEST MEAL EVER.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 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. -Audrey
I originally posted this recipe way back in 2008 when I first started blogging. In fact, I think it was one of the first 10 or so recipes to ever go live on my site!
It is a huge testament to the deliciousness of this skillet bourbon chicken that we are still eating it (loving it, requesting it, hoarding it) almost 20 years later. It is a tried-and-true favorite.
If you haven’t made it yet, now’s the time! It comes in clutch for an easy weeknight dinner, but it’s gourmet-tasting enough to serve to company or for a fancier dinner. You can’t go wrong with this one!
What to Serve With This
- Hot, cooked rice (this baked brown rice is delish)
- 5-Minute Skillet Broccoli
- Simple Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
Bourbon Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 to 4 tablespoons canola oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Sauce:
- ½ cup water (see note)
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup apple juice (see note)
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- For the chicken, pat the chicken pieces dry and season lightly on all sides with salt and pepper.
- In a gallon-sized ziploc bag, toss the chicken and cornstarch together until evenly coated.
- For the sauce, 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. Flip and cook on the other side until golden. It will finish cooking in a later step.
- Remove the chicken to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken (removing it to the same plate when browned). Add additional oil to the pan, if needed.
- Wipe any excess oil out of the skillet and return it to medium heat. Add the chicken back to the skillet and pour in the sauce.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened a bit.
- Serve cooked rice.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe blog no longer online (Blog Chef)
Recipe originally published December 2008; updated September 2026 with new recipe photos, recipe notes, etc.
I’ve been using this recipe for years but somehow never reviewed it! That should tell you how great it is, that it’s been made time and time again! Side note, the recipe is so adaptable to whatever you have on hand. Veggies that need used? Toss them in the sauce. Kiddos that love pineapple? Toss it in. And finally, leftover pork tenderloin! YES, you read that correctly!! Cut up your leftover pork tenderloin into smaller bite sized pieces and put it in the freezer, when you need a quick meal thaw and add it to the sauce in place of the chicken in this recipe! My adult children like the “bourbon pork” even better than chicken!!
Such great tips, Kelly! Thanks for sharing!!
I have nothing in my refrigerator but managed to pull this together with pantry ingredients and it did not disappoint! I didn’t even have the apple juice so I subbed 1/4c. water plus a big spoonful of peach jam that was already open. I served it over rice with stir fried zucchini from the garden. Thanks Mel!
What a great quick sub for the apple juice, Summer! Thanks for commenting…glad you loved this!
Are the nutrition facts listed for chicken breast or thighs?
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Maybe I missed something but where is the bourbon in this recipe?
To explain name, found this online:
Named Bourbon Chicken because it was supposedly created by a Chinese cook who worked in a restaurant on Bourbon Street.
You are right, you missed this (copied straight from this post):
“I’m not sure how this recipe got its name. I’m guessing the original recipe probably included bourbon to deglaze the pan. But there is no alcohol in my recipe. Just a lot of delicious, savory flavors that makes the best skillet chicken ever.”
It’s named for Bourbon Street in NOLA.
Mel mentions that there is no bourbon in the recipe in the first paragraph after the picture. Giving the recipe a 1-star when you haven’t tried it, and didn’t read the post is brutal.
Wow! Went rogue and went to the way back tabs (ha!) looking for something I could make quickly tonight. This is SO good. Put it over grilled zucchini and one could say I am feeling pretty healthy. 😆 This chicken is amazing, truly, and will now be in rotation. Thank you, as always!
Haha, you found an old one, Jana! Glad you liked this one! I need to update the photos (I think I literally just commented that to another person…still on the to-do list!)
I have been making this for a few years now and it is always a hit. This week we made it for my husband’s family and they all really liked it! It is easy to make, it always turns out and the flavor is really good! Thanks for all of your recipes!
This is such an old recipe so I was happy to read your comment and hear you still love it and make it! Thanks, Chelley!
Make this frequently.
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?
I’ve been making this recipe for years and years! My whole family loves it! I just put the chicken and the sauce in a 9×13 pan and bake for 25 mins, instead of on the stove!
What a great idea to bake this!
Great option! Thanks Bonny Day
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!