Bourbon Chicken Recipe (Better Than Food Court!)

---

Bourbon Chicken Recipe (Better Than the Food Court!)

I’ll be honest with you. I can’t even tell you where I had bourbon chicken for the first time. What I can tell you is that every single time I walk through a mall food court, I fall for the toothpick. Every. Single. Time. Somebody’s standing out front holding a little piece of sticky, glossy chicken on a toothpick, and next thing I know I’m in line for a plate of sweet and tangy bourbon chicken with soft, fluffy fried rice. It makes my heart happy.

But times are hard, and trips to the mall don’t happen much for me these days. And when you’re craving that mall bourbon chicken, you figure out how to make it at home. And boy, did I figure this one out.

This one is a big win for everybody in my house. It’s one of the very few dishes my son Calvin will actually eat as leftovers, and if you knew how picky that boy is, you’d know that’s saying something.

Here’s the funny part. I can’t stand drinking bourbon. That burn in my chest? No, thank you. But cooking with it is a whole different story. I put bourbon in my sweet potato pies, candied yams, BBQ sauce, and peach and bourbon jam, because it just deepens the flavor of everything it touches. I live right near Northern Kentucky, where bourbon is basically a sport, so it was only a matter of time before it ended up in my skillet with some chicken.

Making it at home, you won’t miss the food court. You know exactly what’s going into your food, and you can taste and adjust the flavor as you go. This Bourbon Chicken recipe is an easy weeknight dinner, it all happens in one skillet, and nobody has to fight for a parking spot.

What Is Bourbon Chicken?

Bourbon chicken is a sweet and savory chicken dish, usually bite-size pieces of chicken thigh cooked in a glaze of soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and (sometimes) bourbon. It’s a staple at mall food courts and at Cajun-style and Chinese-American takeout spots all over the country.

As for where it came from, nobody knows for sure. The most popular story is that it was named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans, possibly from a Chinese restaurant there, which is why you’ll sometimes see it called “Bourbon Street chicken.” Other folks say it’s simply named after the bourbon in the sauce. Food historians generally see it as an American mash-up of Chinese and Cajun cooking. Whatever the origin, it became a food court legend in the ’80s and ’90s thanks to those free samples.

Fun fact: a lot of food court versions don’t actually contain any bourbon at all. Mine does, because I’m not about to pass up an excuse to add that warm, caramel-y depth.

What Ingredients Go in Bourbon Chicken?

The full measurements are in the recipe card below. Here’s what each piece is doing in this bourbon chicken recipe:

• Boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Thighs are the move here. They have a little more fat than breasts, so they stay juicy and tender while they simmer in the sauce. Cut them into bite-size pieces so every piece gets coated.
• Low-sodium soy sauce. The salty, savory backbone of the sauce. Low-sodium matters because the sauce reduces, and regular soy sauce can get too salty fast.
• Light brown sugar. The sweetness and the stickiness. As it cooks down with the other ingredients, it turns into that glossy glaze that clings to the chicken.
• Bourbon. It adds warmth and a subtle oaky, caramel note you can’t quite name but would miss if it were gone. It doesn’t make the chicken taste “boozy.” It makes it taste deeper.
• Apple juice. A gentle fruity sweetness that plays really well with bourbon. It also gives the sauce enough liquid to simmer the chicken without drying out.
• Ketchup. I know, I know. But ketchup brings tomato-y body, a little tang, and helps thicken the glaze. It’s a classic in food court-style bourbon chicken sauce.
• Apple cider vinegar. A small splash keeps all that sugar from tasting flat. Acid is what makes sweet sauces taste balanced instead of syrupy.
• Fresh garlic and ginger. The aromatics that make it taste like takeout. Fresh is worth it here, but jarred works in a pinch.
• Red pepper flakes. Just a tiny bit of heat in the background. Add more if your family likes spice, or skip it for little ones.
• Cornstarch slurry. Cornstarch mixed with cold water. This is what takes the sauce from thin to thick, glossy, and sticky in about a minute.
• Green onions. Fresh, bright crunch on top, plus they make it look like you tried.

Why Chicken Thighs Work Best

If you only take one thing from this Bourbon Chicken Recipe, let it be this: use chicken thighs. You can use chicken breast, but it won’t be the same. Thighs are more forgiving. Breast meat cooks fast and can turn dry and stringy if it simmers even a few minutes too long. Thighs can hang out in that bubbling sauce while it reduces and still come out tender. If you go with breast, cut the pieces the same size and shorten the simmer by a few minutes.

Why I Bake the Chicken First

I bake my chicken instead of frying it, and I’m not going back. I season the chicken, toss it with cornstarch and a little sesame oil, and lay it out on a cooling rack set on top of a baking sheet. The rack lets the air circulate all the way around the chicken so it cooks evenly, and you don’t have to stand over a skillet flipping pieces.

It also saves time. While the chicken bakes, I make the sauce on the stove. By the time the sauce is ready, so is the chicken, and it all goes into the skillet together. Less grease, less mess, and less hovering over hot oil on a weeknight.

Tips for the Stickiest Bourbon Chicken Glaze

• Don’t crowd the pan. Spread the chicken in a single layer so it browns instead of steams. If your skillet isn’t big enough, work in batches. Those browned bits add a lot of flavor.
• Use a wide skillet. More surface area means the sauce reduces faster and gets thicker without overcooking the chicken.
• Mix your sauce first. Whisk it together before you start cooking so the brown sugar dissolves and you’re not scrambling while the garlic burns.
• Don’t be shy with the garlic. I add extra garlic to mine. Just don’t let it cook too long. Garlic and ginger only need about 30 seconds to a minute, and burnt garlic turns bitter and follows you into the whole dish.
• Taste and adjust the sweetness. I like my bourbon chicken a little on the sweeter side. If you’re like me, stir in brown sugar 1 teaspoon at a time until it hits the sweetness you want.
• Stir the slurry right before adding it. Cornstarch settles to the bottom fast. Give it a quick stir right before it goes in the pan, and always mix it with cold water so it doesn’t clump.
• Watch it at the end. Once the slurry goes in, the sauce thickens quickly. Pull it off the heat when it coats the back of a spoon. It thickens a little more as it sits.

What to Serve With Bourbon Chicken

At home, I keep it simple: white rice and a side of mixed veggies to make it a whole meal. All that extra sauce soaks right into the rice. If you want to switch it up:

• Fried rice for the full food court experience (my homemade stir fry rice comes together in about 15 minutes)
• Lo mein or plain buttered noodles
• Stir-fried or steamed broccoli, green beans, or sautéed cabbage
• Cauliflower rice if you want to keep it lighter

How to Store and Reheat Bourbon Chicken

Let leftovers cool, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. To reheat, warm it in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water or apple juice to loosen the sauce back up, or microwave it in 30-second bursts, stirring in between. The glaze thickens in the fridge, so that splash of liquid really helps.

This also makes a great meal prep lunch. Portion it out over rice and you’ve got food court vibes at your desk all week.

Ways to Switch Up Your Bourbon Chicken Recipe

• Make it smoky. Add ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika to the sauce for a deeper, more “bourbon barrel” flavor.
• Turn up the heat. Double the red pepper flakes or add a squeeze of sriracha.
• Add veggies. Toss in sliced bell peppers and onions after browning the chicken for a one-pan dinner.
• Make it bourbon-free. Swap the bourbon for more apple juice plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Details are in the FAQ.

Commonly Asked Questions

Similar Recipes

If you like easy dinner recipes like this, you will enjoy the ones below:

• Homemade Hibachi Chicken Recipe
• Pineapple Glazed Chicken Rice Bowl
• 30 Minute Beef Ramen Stir Fry
• 15-Minute Homemade Stir Fry Rice Recipe
• Chicken Fajita Pasta Skillet

Print