The trick to making this dish the best it can be is by making sure you have plenty of sauce. You want it to coat the chicken and have more than enough to drizzle over the rice as well. This recipe isn’t booze forward despite the name. The alcohol in the bourbon completely cooks off as the sauce simmers and it’s safe to serve to children, but if you are concerned or don’t have bourbon on hand, you can substitute the 1/4 cup of bourbon for 1/4 cup of hoisin sauce. Hoisin sauce is a sweet and tangy sauce typically used in Asian cuisine, that is available at most grocery stores. It thickens nicely and would work well in this dish.
What is Bourbon Chicken?
Bourbon chicken is a classic New Orleans (think Bourbon Street) dish that is just chicken, cubed, sautéed, and simmered in a sweet and tangy sauce. There are MANY variations on this sauce, and you should feel free to experiment once you get the hang of it. Some versions have the addition of apple juice for a slightly sweeter sauce. Personally, I like to use chicken stock and apple cider vinegar for a tangier version.
How to Make Bourbon Chicken
The trick to making a good bourbon chicken dish is to lightly dust your chicken pieces with corn starch before cooking. Coating the chicken in cornstarch and then sautéing it allows the chicken bites to form a crust on the outside. Once combined with the sauce, it thickens the sauce and helps the sauce adhere to the chicken. Some recipes call for a roux or other thickening agents when making a sauce, but with the addition of cornstarch here, there is no need. Simmering the cornstarch-coated chicken in the sauce is all you need to make this recipe really delicious.
The Secret of the Sauce
The sauce is a combination of garlic, ginger, chicken stock, bourbon, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar also goes in for added extra tang. At first It will look like A LOT of sauce, but it cooks down and reduces nicely. If you want to leave out the bourbon, it’s actually not a critical ingredient. You can substitute it with hoisin sauce as I mentioned above or just leave it out entirely and add a little extra chicken stock and soy sauce to make sure your volume is similar.
What Is the Best Chicken to Use?
I like to use boneless skinless breasts or thighs for this recipe because they are easy to cube. Assuming you cube the chicken in a similar size, they will cook at same rate regardless of what cut you use. You can also use the bourbon chicken sauce for chicken wings and it’s incredibly delicious!
What to Serve with Bourbon Chicken?
I keep it simple for this dish to really make the chicken and sauce shine. Serve it over white rice and garnish heavily with sesame seeds and chives.
Storage Tips for Bourbon Chicken
If you have leftovers, no worries. It stores beautifully in the fridge for 4 to 5 days and reheats nicely in a skillet with a splash of water. You can also reheat it in the microwave. Just be careful not to over-heat the sauce or it can get too thick. Thinning it out with water always helps bring it back to life.
More Saucy Chicken Recipes
Bourbon Maple Glazed Chicken Wings Pressure Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Wings Air Fryer Chicken Wings Chinese Orange Chicken
Cover the rice and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Once it comes to a boil, 4-5 minutes, reduce the heat to medium low and let the rice cook for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove from heat and keep the lid on for 10 additional minutes. When ready fluff it with a fork. It’s okay if it’s not entirely cooked through at this point because it will continue to cook in the sauce. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside on a plate. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce until it has thickened and coats the chicken well, 6 to 8 minutes. The finished sauce should glaze the chicken well and coat the back of a spoon.
