Bourbon Chicken

This sweet-savory chicken dinner will be a new family favorite—that is, if you all don't already love Bourbon chicken. Ketchup, brown sugar, and honey provide a lot of sweetness that's blunted by the savory umami flavors of soy sauce and meaty chicken thighs. Bourbon balances all the flavors with a subtle smokiness and warmth. This dish is lick-your-plate good—you'll see.

What's more? This dish is ready in under 30 minutes, which makes it fast enough for a weeknight when you're craving a highly flavorful meal but don't have a ton of time.

What Is Bourbon Chicken?

Bourbon chicken is a sautéed chicken dish made with a sweet-savory sauce of ketchup, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, spices, and of course bourbon. It's usually served over rice, but you could load up with sautéed veggies instead.

Where Did Bourbon Chicken Come From?

The origins of this dish are a little fuzzy. Most stories trace back to Bourbon Street in New Orleans, which gets naming rights for the dish (along with the spirits). That's why you'll often see Bourbon chicken called "Cajun food."

But other stories say it was actually created by a Chinese-American restaurant that was on Bourbon street and was looking for a hybrid dish to feed the local crowds.

Either way, we're thankful for this mash-up success that is beloved across the U.S. and the South for its incredible flavor.

What You'll Need To Make Bourbon Chicken

This list is a little on the long side, but most of these ingredients are pantry and fridge staples. You probably have most of what you need right now:

• Boneless, skinless chicken thighs: This cut of chicken stays more tender and juicy during the sauté.
• Kosher salt and black pepper: For seasoning the chicken
• Cornstarch: This plays two roles: Coating the chicken to help retain moisture and thickening up the sauce.
• Canola oil: For cooking the chicken.
• Light brown sugar: We like the caramel and molasses notes this sugar adds to the complex sauce.
• Apple juice: This juice adds some tartness and a subtle sweetness.
• Unsalted chicken broth: This helps make the sauce, and we prefer the unsalted version so you can control the salt level of the final dish. No broth? Use water.
• Bourbon: You only need a little bit to get the flavor, but if you want to skip it, replace it with apple juice.
• Lower-sodium soy sauce: Like the broth, we prefer the lower-sodium version of soy sauce so you can control the final dish's salt levels.
• Honey: Beyond sweetness, honey adds subtle floral notes that really set this dish apart. You could use white sugar.
• Ketchup: Lends tomato umami notes and some sweetness.
• Apple cider vinegar: Tangy and bright, it keeps the sauce from being too cloying.
• Onion powder: Adds depth to the flavor.
• Ground ginger: Fresh ginger would be great, too, if you have it. Ginger adds a hint of spice.
• Tap water: Combined with some of the cornstarch to make a slurry and thicken up the sauce.
• Thinly sliced scallions: Sprinkled on top before serving to add grassy freshness.
• Steamed white rice: We recommend serving the chicken with rice, but you could do any grain or just vegetables.
  

How To Make Bourbon Chicken

This recipe takes less than 30 minutes, from start to finish, which means there aren't a lot of complicated steps. Here's a brief outline. The full recipe is further below:

• Step 1. Prepare chicken: Toss chicken with salt, pepper, and cornstarch.
• Step 2. Cook chicken: Cook chicken in heated oil until browned. Remove from pan, and keep warm. Cook in batches if needed to make sure chicken has space in the pan to brown, not steam.
• Step 3. Make sauce: While chicken is cooking, combine ingredients for sauce (brown sugar, juice, broth, bourbon, soy sauce, honey, ketchup, vinegar, onion powder, and ginger) in a separate bowl.
• Step 4. Cook sauce: Once the chicken is cooked, pour the sauce mixture into the hot pan. Bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute. (Don't let the sauce reduce too much, or the sugars will burn.)
• Step 5. Add chicken back to the pan: Once the sauce has reduced slightly, add the chicken and any juices collected in the plate back to the sauce. Continue to cook until sauce is thickening up.
• Step 6. Add cornstarch slurry: Combine water and remaining cornstarch, and stir into the sauce. Cook one more minute to get sauce thick and syrupy. Make sure all the chicken is coated.
• Step 7. Serve: Serve over steamed rice with scallions.

Variations

• Use all apple juice instead of Bourbon, if you are out of it (or drank it all).
• Use chicken breasts instead of thighs.
• Use 2 extra tablespoons of brown sugar to replace the honey, if desired.

Serving Suggestions for Bourbon Chicken

You definitely want to serve Bourbon chicken over something like rice or grains so that the sauce is soaked up and not a drop goes to waste.

You could also serve with vegetables, like roasted broccoli or roasted carrots.

How To Store Leftovers

Fridge: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Reheat lightly on the stove with a splash of water to prevent burning or microwave until warm.

More Fast and Easy Chicken Recipes

Chicken dinners are always a weeknight favorite because the protein is quick-cooking and easy to add to all sorts of dishes. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
  
• Honey-Garlic Chicken
• Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks
• Chicken Pot Pie Soup