I have heard many good things about Bourbon Chicken. There’s a place a couple towns over that makes it, that everyone raves about. I have never had the chance to try it, so I thought I should try making it myself. Like I had said I have never had it, so I was just going off of what I assumed it would taste like. I thought it turned out really well and I look forward to making it again!
Below is some step-by-step pictures as well as some tips and directions. At the very bottom is the full recipe with measurements and times.
Ingredients
Here is a quick list of ingredients needed. This is just a guide, use other ingredients if you wish.
- Olive Oil
- Chicken Thighs
- Ginger Paste
- Garlic Powder
- Pepper
- Salt
- Soy Sauce
- Water
- Dark Whiskey (Bourbon)
- White Wine Vinegar
- Brown Sugar
- Corn Starch
The ingredient list seems long, to some I am sure. But I promise this is all worth it! Most ingredients I am sure you have already. You can use fresh grated Ginger if you wish, I just find the paste to be easier, so I can keep it in my fridge for when I need it next.
How Do I Prep The Chicken?
I found that this goes best with chicken thighs. However, if you don’t like dark meat I think tenderloins would also work good. Breasts could be used in a pinch, but tend to get dry when cooked too long.
You want to dice up your chicken into small chunks, roughly 1 inch to 1/2 inch pieces. Removing any excess fat from the chicken. Season the chicken with Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder, if you wish. I always season my chicken but you don’t need to for this recipe.
In a medium pan, put a tablespoon of olive oil and let it heat up. Once its nice and hot, add in your diced chicken. Cook the chicken until fully cooked, tossing around a few times so all sides are cooked. I had to drain some of the juices from my chicken, do so if yours has a lot of juices as well.
Bourbon Sauce
In a medium bowl, add most of the remaining ingredients, such as: Garlic Powder, Pepper, Ginger, Soy Sauce, Dark Whiskey or Bourbon, White Wine Vinegar, Brown Sugar. Mix everything together real nice in the bowl.
Once your chicken is fully cooked and you have drained any excess juices, pour your Bourbon Sauce into the pan. Allow the sauce to come to a boil, not quite rolling, but close. Reduce heat to a medium/low simmer. Allow to simmer for roughly 15 minutes. This allows time for the alcohol to cook out.
Note: Any dark whiskey will work, doesn’t necessarily need to be Bourbon. I used Black Velvet Whiskey and it turned out perfect!
Final Step
The finishing touches to this delicious recipe, the corn starch slurry. The corn starch slurry is what is going to thicken your sauce, so it coats all the chicken perfectly. Because you don’t want it too thick, you are going to mix a 3:1 ratio. That being, 3 parts water to 1 part cornstarch. Mix until cornstarch is fully dissolved and pour into your pan. This is going to thicken nice and quick, stirring everything around a few times. If this did not thicken as you wished, try it again, same ratio.
At this point, your sauce should be the perfect sauciness and be ready to serve. I chose to serve this bourbon chicken over some rice, but you could certainly just eat it plain. I look forward to trying this one again!
Below is the full recipe, with measurements and times. Be sure to check it out. All recipes are printer friendly and can be shared to Pinterest. Drop some comments if you have any tips or if you gave this a try! I love reading feedback!
Much Love & Honey,
Megan
Savory Bourbon Chicken
Equipment
- 1 Medium Pan
- 1 Medium Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken Thighs Diced
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- tbsp Ginger Paste
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/3 Cup Soy Sauce
- 1/3 Cup Dark Whiskey (Bourbon)
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
- 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch dissolved in 3 tbsp cold water
Optional
- 2 Cups White Rice Instant
Instructions
- Dice your chicken thighs into 1 inch and 1/2 inch pieces. Season chicken with whatever desired seasonings you wish.
- In a medium pan, heat your olive oil to a hot temperature. Toss in your seasoned chicken thighs and cook until fully cooked. Tossing around some so all sides are fully cooked. There is a chance you may need to drain some of the juices while cooking.
- In a medium bowl, mix in Pepper, Ginger Paste, Garlic Powder, Soy Sauce, Water, Dark Whiskey, and Brown Sugar. Mixing everything together real well.
- Once your chicken is fully cooked, pour in your sauce. Stirring the sauce around the chicken and bringing to a boil. You don't want a roaring boil, but pretty close. Once boiling, reduce heat to a medium-low simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer for roughly 15 minutes, giving it time to cook down the alcohol.
- Final step, create your cornstarch slurry, 3:1 ratio. 3 tbsp of cold water and 1 tbsp of cornstarch. Dissolve the cornstarch and stir into your sauce. This will thicken the sauce up real nice. If the sauce didn't thicken to your liking, try the slurry again. Adding just a little at a time, not all 4 tbsp at once.
- Serve! This is really great served on a bed of white rice! Also great if you eat it plain.