Easy Bourbon Chicken is a one-pan meal making crispy, sweet, and sticky chicken just like the kind you grew up eating at the mall! Try today!
If you’re looking for an easy Chicken Dish that will blow you away with flavor – Bourbon Chicken is a must try recipe. Just like Orange Chicken and General Tso’s Chicken, the addicting signature sauce is the real star!
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Easy Bourbon Chicken Recipe
Don’t be surprised if this chicken dish becomes an instant family favorite! Tender, bite-sized chicken pieces with a light crispy coating and smothered in a one-of-a-kind sauce. The real magic is the sauce! It’s deliciously sweet and sticky with a deep bourbon flavor and smoky, fruity notes. And best of all, it’s not that complicated (don’t let the ingredient list fool you!) and takes less than an hour to make. Whether you grew up eating this Bourbon Chicken in malls or this is your first time trying it, this recipe will knock your socks off, it’s that good!
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
- Wok: Great for high heat and quick cooking. A wok is a great addition to your kitchen if you love cooking Chinese food or stir fries in general.
- Large Frying Pan: I use a Cuisinart for most of my non cast iron cooking unless I am going with a stainless steel option, then I choose my All Clad.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: I’m using boneless, skinless chicken, which gets cut into one-inch chunks, which are perfect for bite-sized pieces. Swap with thighs for extra juiciness.
- Cornstarch: This adds a crisp texture and helps thicken the sauce. You don’t want to skip this ingredient.
- Vegetable Oil: This will be used to fry the chicken and can be a regular vegetable oil, olive oil, or even coconut oil for a slightly different flavor!
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic creates a savory and fragrant base. Adjust the amount if you love extra garlic flavor.
- Liquids: Water is the base of the sauce and is blended with apple juice to add a light fruity sweetness.The chicken broth adds a bit more savory flavor while the low sodium soy sauce adds an umami punch while keeping saltiness in check.
- Bourbon: The bourbon adds smoky depth and gives this chicken it’s signature flavor. You want to use a good enough quality to drink, but no need to use the top shelf.
- Ketchup: Ketchup adds a tangy acidic flavor and some extra seasoning to help tie everything together by taming the sugar, plus it adds thickness.
- Brown Sugar: 1 cup of sugar might seem like this would be a sweet sauce but the molasses in the brown sugar helps mellow it and the other ingredients balance the sweetness. I would not recommend using regular white sugar.
- Seasonings: Onion powder, ground ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes add a warm and slightly spicy finish.
How to Make
Time needed: 40 minutes.
- Prepare the Chicken
Cut chicken into one-inch bite-sized pieces and dip chicken in cornstarch, salt, and pepper mixture in a large or medium bowl until covered.
- Cook the Chicken
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in batches until golden and fully cooked – about 3 minutes on each side. Set aside.
- Saute Aromatics
In the same skillet, cook minced garlic until fragrant, making sure not to burn it.
- Make the Sauce
Into the skillet, combine the water, apple juice, bourbon, chicken broth, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, onion powder, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Mix well and bring the sauce to a boil.
- Combine Chicken and Sauce
Return the chicken to the skillet and let it cook for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce mixture is reduced.
- Thicken the Sauce
Make a slurry with the cornstarch and a tablespoon of cold water and stir it into the sauce until the sauce thickens to a sticky glaze.
- Serve
Plate the dish hot over white rice or your favorite noodles. Enjoy immediately.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 6 chicken breasts boneless, skinless (about 3 pounds)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch , divided
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2/3 cup lite soy sauce , (lower sodium)
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup light brown sugar , packed
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces and in a large bowl toss it with 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch, salt, and pepper.
- Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil into your nonstick skillet on medium-high heat and let it heat until a small piece of chicken sizzles.
- Add half the chicken pieces and cook for 3 minutes without stirring.
- Turn the chicken pieces and cook and additional three minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the pan.
- Use the remaining oil to cook the second half of the chicken the same way.
- Remove the chicken from the pan.
- Add in the garlic and cook for 20 seconds until you can just smell it.
- Add in the water, apple juice, bourbon, chicken broth, lite soy sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, onion powder, ground ginger and red pepper flakes.
- Bring to a boil then add back in the chicken.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce is reduced by about half.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of cornstarch to a small glass with a tablespoon of water and stir.
- Add into the pan and stir.
- Cook until the sauce is thickened. Serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition
Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes
Chef’s Note: What about the Crispiness?
When you cook the chicken, it will have that crispiness on the edges you’re looking for. I noticed that once the chicken is smothered in the yummy sauce, it’s only a matter of time for the crispiness to absorb the sauce. When I want extra crispy chicken, I like to cook it in the pan for 30 seconds to a minute longer on both sides to ensure that it’s extra crispy. And I’m always sure to add the cornstarch to the sauce which helps thicken it and will delay the chicken turning soft.
Can This Be Made Ahead?
Yes, this is great to make a day in advance for a party. Just make it according to the directions and store it in the fridge in an airtight container overnight. Keep in mind that it will not have any crispiness to it as all the sauce will be soaked into the chicken. But it will still be incredibly delicious!
Nutritional Facts
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Chicken: I used chicken breast because my mall used to. If you want a more tender cut, use boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Coating: If you’d like a thicker coating, dredge in the cornstarch, dip in a beaten egg, then dredge in some flour and deep fry.
- Spiciness: To make this more spicy, double the crushed red pepper or swap the red pepper for Sriracha sauce.
How to Store
- Storing: Place any leftover chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat the chicken in a skillet over medium heat, adding a splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce. Or you can microwave on medium power in 30-second intervals, stirring between, until heated through.
- Freezing: Let chicken cool and then transfer cooled chicken with sauce to a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Crockpot Variation
To make it in the crockpot (slow cooker), cook the chicken (use chicken thighs for best texture) as directed and add half the amounts of the rest of the recipe sauce ingredients as they won’t be able to cook it down in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 hours. Add in the last tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with a tablespoon of water, then cook on high for 30 minutes. Serve when ready!
Frequent Questions
Yes! There absolutely is, but it cooks down in the sauce so much that it just adds a certain unique flavor and won’t impair you. If you prefer to skip the bourbon, just double the apple juice.
You can substitute with equal parts white grape juice for a similar flavor. Or you can add a slightly different flavor with pineapple juice, cranberry juice, or orange juice (no pulp).
Make sure you add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce. If it’s still too thin, mix another slurry together of a tablespoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of water and stir it in gradually. It will thicken after that.
While no one is exactly sure, this dish is an Asian-American fusion meal that was inspired by popular Chinese dishes and created by a Chinese restaurant on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. It’s been popular in malls across America ever since!
Variations
- Gluten-Free: Swap the soy sauce for an equal amount of tamari or coconut aminos. If needed, double-check your ketchup and broth for gluten-free certification. The cooking process stays the same, but this tweak keeps the dish friendly for those avoiding gluten!
- Honey-Garlic: Replace the brown sugar with ½ cup of honey and add an extra 2 cloves of minced garlic and a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger. The sauce will be slightly thinner but even more aromatic and naturally sweet. Simmer an extra 5 minutes longer to let it thicken properly if needed.
- Vegetarian: Use extra-firm tofu cut into one-inch cubes in place of chicken, and pan-fry until crispy. Then just substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth. The sauce will cling to the tofu nicely, and no other changes are needed for the vegetarian style!
Related Recipes
More Easy Chinese Take-Out Favorites
Photos used in previous versions of this post.
Noticed a few people say it wasn’t crispy and not as dark as the picture. Tips?
Reduce the sauce more. Nothing is very crispy when covered with sauce.
Love Love this recipe and I don’t have bourbon. Made it for my and family and it’s a keeper.
Thank you
Love to try more of your recipes.
Yummy. Mine was alittle lighter than I expected but so yummy!
Amazing. Made it for eight people, and everyone loved it! A couple have already asked for the recipe.
Tried it, really good. Question, what do the Chinese places in the mall food courts use instead of bourbon? I’m sure they don’t use bourbon but I can’t find an answer to that question. Thanks in advance.
skipped the red pepper flakes, not a fan of those, and went with thighs as I prefer dark vs breast meat – fantastic! Put the chicken on a bed of jasmine (& garlic) rice, and it was outstanding!
Saw another comment that the result wasn’t particularly crispy, and I guess I agree that mine wasn’t either, but really it is all about the flavor and this is absolutely amazing!
Just edited to add my rating – hope it posts!
skipped the red pepper flakes, not a fan of those, and went with thighs as I prefer dark vs breast meat – fantastic! Put the chicken on a bed of jasmine (& garlic) rice, and it was outstanding!
Saw another comment that the result wasn’t particularly crispy, and I guess I agree that mine wasn’t either, but really it is all about the flavor and this is absolutely amazing!
Awesome recipe! Made it for dinner at deer camp. Everyone loved it! Making it for my family again tonight. Thanks!
I made this last night for my son who loved to get Bourbon Chicken at the mall and no longer can get it. It was easy and so fabulous!! Will save the recipe and for sure make it again. We may add some broccoli and snow peas the next time.
Thanks for a great recipe!!
Thank you, Barb!!
Made this for GreenBay Packers foootball party.
Everyone enjoyed it!
What would be a good bourbon for this? Thanks in advance.
Really any would work.
I used Jim Beam and it turned out stellar. When researching the same question found from multiple sources that any STRAIGHT Bourbon will work.
Makers Mark, Four Roses obviously the better quality of bourbon the better the flavor will be. I live snack dab in the middle of Bourbon country and I use these two for everything.
I reduced to half the brown sugar, marinated chicken thighs over night, and grilled the chicken over Bourbon flavor wood chips. Takes a little longer but definitely worth it.
This is a pretty good recipe. Definitely a keeper. I reduced the pepper flakes by half because some are heat sensitive. I will add some veggies, peppers and onions next time.
Made this last night and followed the recipe exactly. Served it with jasmine rice and my husband & sister both really liked it. I found it to be very easy to make and will definitely make it again when looking for something different from the usual weeknight dinners.
Lol. Was thinking the same thing.
Whole family loved it I had to tweak it a bit cause I ran out of stuff that I had I had but it was still great and the instructions were on point.
Thank you. So glad it worked out for you.
Im not a cook and i hit this one out of the park!!!
Great flavor so happy to have this recipe in the arsenal . And this dad doesnt have to go to the mall food court anymore for some good ole bourbon chicken !!!
While extremely delicious, there is nothing “crispy” about this recipe. Yes, I’ll make it again, the flavour was amazing, but if you take chicken and fry it and then soak it in sauce….no longer crispy!
Really good sauce. The only bourbon chicken recipe I need!
Your Bourbon Chicken recipe looks amazing, but I noticed that the picture of it shows green onions and yet there isn’t any green onions in the recipe. Can you tell me how much I should use and when to add them when cooking? Thank you!
Hi! Thank you! Its just used for a garnish, not used for flavor so you can add as much as you’d like as the last step.
I added cut up , flash fried purple onion,zucchini,red,yellow and orange peppers also, unbelievably good.
Delicious!! I used less brown sugar so it wouldn’t be so sweet, and it was perfect! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Glad you were able to customize it more to your liking.
It was ok. Tasted nothing like the mall court Chinese bourbon chicken at all. Definitely didn’t hit the craving spot but was edible.
My family loves this recipe. I use extra apple juice in place of the bourbon. I’m going to try adding in broccoli and pineapple chunks this time around. Hope it don’t ruin it.
Its…” I hope it DOESN’T ruin it”. Not …hope it dont. Like nails on a chalkboard!
Shut up, Karen. Your parents named you correctly.
Lol thank you I needed that laugh today!!
It’s “it’s”, not its. Try to be correct when you correct someone. THAT is WORSE than nails on a chalkboard??
“Don’t” has an apostrophe in it, Karen. ?
You did something wrong then cause i use this recipe all the time and it slaps Everytime. Try again.
This was way too sweet. The sweetness buried the other flavors. Could not taste the bourbon or red pepper. I might try it again cutting back the brown sugar to about a 1/4 cup. But will probably try another recipe.
This is definitely a favorite of ours!! I always add extra brown sugar because I love the sweet taste. We have made this over 10 times in a 3 year period. We add broccoli to it and its amazing!!!
Hi Tonya! I’m so glad your are having fun with this recipe and enjoying it!
Thank you <3
Better watch the grammar, Sabrina! Karen might correct you. 😉
Trying this tomorrow, and I have already passed it on to two friends.
Hey Frank, Hope your friends enjoy it too!
This was way too sweet. The sweetness buried the other flavors. I might try it again cutting back the brown sugar to about a 1/4 cup. But will probably try another recipe.
This recipe is absolutely amazing. I added a little more chili flake and made it spicier. So good!!!!!!!!! I think I will try the spice over pulled pork next time.
Absolutely delicious! A marinated the chicken overnight in the refrigerator with the sauce first. Then after draining the marinade from the chicken I followed the rest of the recipe step by step. I pan fried it and used dark brown sugar instead.
Made this tonight with a few adjustments to make it easier. Mixed the sauce ingredients first and used 1/2 tsp powered garlic instead of fresh – was feeling super lazy – (just mixed into the sauce) and 1/4 c of brown sugar (not packed). I let this sit while I partially cooked the chicken. Once the sauce was reduced and cornstarch slurry added – I added the chicken back in to finish cooking and get the sauce to the right consistency. I can’t imagine a full cup of sugar in this – would end up so sweet once it is reduced. In any case you can always add sugar at the end if you need to sweeten it up! But overall a great recipe.
This is my second time making this dish for family and it’s always not enough. So this time I am doubling the recipe so hopefully it will be enough. This is 1 of our favorite dishes. Thank you. Oh I also make shrimp fried rice to go with it.
Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you guys enjoy it, Jennifer.
Great recipe but not exactly like the mall bourbon chicken. I made the sauce first and put the raw chicken breasts in the instant pot, poured half the sauce and cooked for 20 minutes. Let the slow release for 5 minutes and then quick release. Took the chicken out and shredded it. I then sauteed the sauce that was left in instant pot adding a mixture of water and cornstarch to thicken the sauce and cooked for 5 minutes. Then I added back in the chicken and served with brown rice and broccoli. It’s definitely a new fave and using the instant pot made it easy
I can’t wait to try this! I want to share a good tip regarding soy sauce. I love Chinese/Asian food but the sodium makes me swell like a balloon! Substitute COCONUT AMINOS. It tastes exactly like soy sauce and has NO coconut flavor at all. Google it. I buy mine at Trader Joes.
Made this for Christmas eve dinner for the family. I made a huge batch, 5 large chicken breasts, so it took a while to make it, but with a little prep before dinner, it was no problem. It was delicious and made a nice change from turkey or salmon, which is what we usually fix for a crowd. This recipe is a keeper for sure.
Came out looking great but It was too sweet.
Lot of good in this recipe. Wife and I made it tonight. we so miss the Mall’s Food Court Bourbon Chicken. Well, we made this recipe. And, it’s not exactly like the food court, because the chicken is fried on a skillet. Which, we found, is not the same texture or feel or taste of the Food Court’s. However, the sauce is WORLD CLASS.
We will not make the chicken this way again (as the recipe says), but we will use this sauce on a different chicken preparation technique. Now, DtD says it is easy, so this is probably what most people can do in a limited amount of time. But, we’re willing to figure it out, where we never have to go out and spend loads of money to eat at places that don’t give ya much. So, we plan to try Sabrina’s sauce with this chicken approach …
I think Copy-KAT might have the approach that makes the chicken closer to the Mall’s look, taste, and texture. And, funny, this is first time that we ever used Bourbon, and DAMNED — does it add incredible flavor. Thanks to Sabrina for teaching us the difference in a sauce before & after Bourbon. Man, is it a huge change.
I’ll update this, if I can remember and if we get it conquered in this century. Also, if anyone has ideas, please let me know too. Thanks.
I’m about to make this dish. Can you use white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar? I’m already subbing apple juice for the bourbon. Thank you.
Sure though it will adjust the flavor a bit. Enjoy!
And then?
Excellent recipe! I had a little over 2 lbs. of brown meat chicken left over from making ramen broth, and this was the perfect use of it. We usually end up with not enough sauce, so this was just the right amount of sauce to chicken for us. I made a few modifications: using 3/4 cup of sugar and double the bourbon. It was perfect! This will be one of my go- to recipes.
I tried it for the first time today. My boys said they would pay for it if they were in a restaurant. The bomb dot com.
Love it!
This is a great recipe! I found it very sweet and might do only half of the brown sugar next time. Mine also came out quite light, not sure how to get it so dark?
This was delicious!! I used half the amount of sugar and it was still a little sweet for me. I also added some carrots, yellow pepper, and onion because I like more substance to my dish and try not to eat rice. There was plenty of sauce to handle the extra veggies. Definitely a keeper recipe and will be making it often.
Holy cow I’m stuffed!
Portion control??? Out the window!!
Husband is loving on this recipe, telling me I could open a restaurant on it. Lol Too bad I can’t take credit!
Thanks for the recipe, it was very good! Only substitute I had to the recipe was the soy sauce. I didn’t have enough Kikkoman low sodium, so finished off with a Chinese soy sauce.
Sorry if you feel this ruins your recipe, but I also added some veggies cuz I have to have veggies – (bamboo shoots, straw mushroom, onions, a few jalapeño slices, and celery). But the heart of the recipe remained true.
Thanks again!
Love your veggies additions! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Well I made this tonight 17/11/2020 and it was absolutely gorgeous the only thing I did was lower the amount of soya sauce as I find it to salty and i laid it on a bed of egg noodles with bean sprouts with garlic and finely chopped shallots. I’ll definitely be making this again me and my son loved it
Thanks for coming back to let me know, Bev.
Looks lovely! However, I am an underage chef ? what’s a good alternative to the bourbon due to being unable to purchase it?
You can substitute apple juice for the bourbon. Enjoy!
double the apple juice!
Hi Sabrina, thanks for this recipe. It’s so flavorsome and was a real hit with the family. Definitely a keeper.
So glad you all enjoyed it enough to give it a 5 star rating, Joanne.
Husband cooked this tonight and it turned out more like a soup with chicken pieces in it. I’m use to bourbon chicken sauce being thick and sticking to the chicken. Not sure what went wrong…
Oh no! It sounds like he didn’t let the sauce get to a full boil to be able to thicken up. Did he also add then cornstarch slurry at the end?
We made it tonight following the recipe to a T and the same thing…… I’m so confused.
I wanted to make this recipe. However I do not know what bourbon is? Knowingly, I do not cook at all so I have no idea what exactly I am looking for in grocery stores. All I see is bourbon brown sugar seasoning in a packet?
Bourbon is a barrel-aged distilled spirit. You’ll find it in the liquor section of your grocery store.
Its booze , liquor , hooch, like whiskey you know?
Karen,
Ha ha ha. Yeah, we could have “almost” said the same comment as Quinessa. First time with Sabrina’s recipe that we used Bourbon. A good Bourbon to use with this is Jim Beam’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey. We got it at Spec’s down the street for cheap. I couldn’t believe it, like 200ml for $3.99. You will barely use a fourth of it. So it is very cheap to make this dish.
Quinessa,
See comment to Karen. We bought Jim Beam’s Straight Bourbon cheap at Spec’s. I expected a $20 dollar bottle just to make dish, but we bought $4 bucks. Could have been a 100ml for $1.99 — if I’d known how little we’d use.
Tried this tonight and it turned out extremely salty. Not sure what went wrong. ? Does anyone know how to help me balance the salty taste? I’m sad. ?
Oh no! Sometimes chicken is pumped with a sodium/water solution so maybe that added to the extra saltiness of the dish?
Hi Davina white I made some sauce the other week and it said to put half a cup of soya sauce in and mine came out the same it was so salty we had to throw the hole dish away. I didn’t know where I had gone wrong cos I fallowed the recipe to the t. Anyway me no my son tasted all the ingredients I had used and it was the soya sauce it’s so salty so I made the sauce again but this time I only put 3 teaspoons in instead of half a cup and the sauce turned out perfect. You could try doing this and then taste to see if it’s ok or needs more soya sauce. I’m making this dish tomorrow and I’ll be lowering the amount of soya sauce I put in not what’s it’s saying in the recipe Hope this helps. I’ll post tomorrow how it turns out.
Hi, it sounds like you might have used regular soy sauce instead of low sodium like the recipe suggests? Or try coconut aminos, they taste the same as soy sauce but much less salt! Good luck!
Its. SOY sauce , definitely not Soya sauce, theres no such thing. Just sayin.
It is referred to as “soya sauce” in the U.K.
I made this dish and served it over white rice. I followed the recipe exactly. My kids and husband went nuts for it. I got so much praise and I had 0 leftovers. I will definitely be making this again very soon.
My family’s favorite chicken dinner is your bourbon chicken! We all love it! Thank you so much for sharing!!! It’s fantastic,I I would give it 100 stars if I could!!
How sweet! Thanks, Betsy.
My kids (and hubby too!) loved this…it’s on our rotation ??