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
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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.
Tried it this evening. Added onion, green pepper and mushroom to the garlic. Mine didn’t reduce as much… doubled the cornstarch slurry and it tightened up nicely. Really turned out great. Family enjoyed it already fighting over leftovers for tomorrow. ?
Made last night for the hubby so he’d have dinner when he got off late from working. He woke me up to tell me how good the chicken and sauce was 🙂 I subbed low-sodium Tamari for the soy sauce, added some fresh grated ginger with the garlic instead of ground, and used chicken thighs. Because I only used 2 lbs of chicken, I reduced all of the ingredients accordingly and it was PERFECT! Thank you for this recipe.
Loved it! My kids said it was better than the one at the mall ?. Will repeat this week since they ate most of it.
very good
This was amazing. 1000% better than any Chinese store/restaurant I’ve ever been too. Thank you for sharing. It was so simple and delicious ?
Thanks! We are powering through all the meat in our freezer as we prepare for a move. Your recipes help me change it up so we don’t get burn out. Look fwd to your emails everyday!
Excellent sauce missing nothing!
Made this for dinner & it’s a keeper ! I followed the recipe exactly,except I did not have lite soy sauce & used regular soy sauce. Next time I will reduce the amount that I use as it was almost too salty but not bad. Also will reduce the sugar as it is pretty sweet. My 5 yr. old grandson loves it & called it “Sugar chicken” ! Next time I will also add some peppers, Broccoli, & onion. The only reason I gave it 4 stars was it was a bit too sweet for our tastes . It is better than some that I have ordered or had on buffets.
Thank you for the high praise and I totally get things being too sweet. Everyone’s palette is so unique.
I’ve never had bourbon chicken at the mall however I will look for it the next time I’m there. I made this the other night and it was fantastic! We loved it! The only change I made was I used Wondra because we were out of cornstarch. We will be making this again and again!! Thank you for this recipe!
I’m confused by steps 10-15.
Bring to a boil then add back in the chicken.
Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce is reduced by about half.
Are you supposed to keep it at a boil the entire time? I did and my sauce never thickened. Was this supposed to be a simmer after you add the chicken?
A couple of questions come to mind. Did you toss the chicken 2 T of cornstarch along with the other ingredients? That would thicken the sauce with the 1 remaining Tbsp of Cornstarch when the recipe has been completed. Did the sauce reduce to about half? I’m sorry the recipe was a disappointment.
This was so good . The reason I gave only 4 stars is it was so sweet.
Should I cut back the sugar to 1/2 cup??
Wow! Made exactly as is but less chicken which is okay because now I have leftover sauce for another batch! Better than takeout!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
I used half a thing of chicken thighs and had some extra sauce too! After reading ur comment I think I will freeze the remaining sauce for an easy dinner coming up! Thanks for the idea!
Delicious! Will make again soon.
The flavor was good but the recipe as is makes way too much sauce, it’s basically drowning in it. Next time I will cut it in half.
I, on the other hand, found the sauce just barely enough, even though I used less chicken. Maybe you didn’t reduce it enough?
Here too. I had so much liquid that I was afraid the chicken would spill over. Had to mulk it down quite a lot with more cornstarch.
Awesome taste! Used Jim Beam Extra Aged Bourbon plus fresh ginger. Also used a lot more corn starch to coat the chicken and therefore didn’t have to add any to thicken the sauce
I normally don’t leave reviews but this was AMAZING. I made it last night for a dinner party and every single bite was eaten, the guests ended up debating who’d get the last few pieces and almost licked the sauce off of the pan. The only alteration I made was that I used 9 cloves of garlic instead of 2, but I always do that lol. Will definitely be making this again, perhaps next time I will coat the chicken with more cornstarch and an egg, to get crispier chicken bits. Absolutely amazing recipe, thank you so much. I will definitely be cooking more recipes from this site, my next one will be the Korean fried chicken and I’m already looking forward to eating and making it.
I made this recipe with everything except the Burbon. Even though I was nervous it wouldn’t taste quite right, I had nothing to worry about, it is AMAZING! And my whole family agrees!
I followed the recipe except added a little bit more of everything it called for, and then right at the end, added fresh green beans and about 2 cups of mixed sweet peppers. And then served over top of rice! Voila, amazing! This is being added to my personal recipe book as I type, lol. Thank you so very much for the recipe, I will be making it often!!
p.s. I also used 7 large pieces of chicken breast and it was perfect liquid to meat ratio:)
What kind of ketchup should I use. Do you mean tomato ketchup?
Yes, tomato ketchup. The red thin condiment you can buy at any grocery store, and they serve it at fast food places.
Best Bourbon Chicken I’ve ever had . Hands Down . I’ve had it at a few restaurants and have always liked it . But this recipe blows those Restaurants recipes away . Very Very Good . I wish I was not so full . I’d eat the whole pan .
I made this dish and followed the recipe completely except I omitted the bourbon. I found it not to be very tasty – it was just mainly sweet with a strong vinegar taste. It didn’t taste like the take-out place I go to. The deep richness was missing, it was just mainly a sweet taste. You couldn’t taste the chicken at all. I don’t know what was wrong but something is missing from this recipe.
This can’t be a serious comment. You’re wondering what’s missing when you omitted the bourbon in a recipe titled “Bourbon Chicken”???
You omitted one of the two things in the title of the recipe. We can probably guess what was missing, no?
“I omitted the bourbon.” and “I don’t know what’s wrong, but something is missing from this recipe.”
Seriously?
Your brain must be as smooth as glass.
BOURBON!! THAT’S what’s missing.
Kim, I’d guess bourbon’s the flavor you were missing in this bourbon chicken.
? that’s funny
Great recipe! We loved the chicken and especially the sauce. I make this exactly as written and it was perfect. Thank you!
As a pro chef for many years I’ve been searching for the perfect bourbon chicken recipe and this unfortunately was not it, the frying than putting the chicken back in to simmer in the sauce made it a gross soppy fried chicken texture and was super acidicc and salty but the only thing to save this dish was the rice because it balanced our the harsh overwhelming flavors but overall edible and mall food quality
Making this tonight. Discovered this recipe 10 years back or so and shared it with a friend. Both of us still cook it for our partners. The only tweak I make is to use pineapple chunks and use the pineapple juice. Partner and kid request more and more sauce.
Disclaimer: I suck at giving reviews: good or bad, sorry :(.
In truth though, I have NOT been disappointed in any of the recipes I’ve gotten from you.
Made this last week and got RAVE reviews, thank you. The sauce is so delicious and easy to make….I’ll definitely be making it again.
What is a serving size/amount?
Many recipes like this thow ingredients together in a meaningless way and miss the importance of deglazing the pan which loosens all those tasty bits at the bottom before adding the sticky stuff.
It calls for a non-stick pan, so deglazing not required.
The family loved this. They wanted more after it was all gone. Sauce was a little to sweet for me so next time I’ll decrease the brown sugar or add a little more chicken stock. Great recipe. This recipe will definitely be added to my recipe book.
This was my first-time attempting Bourbon Chicken. The recipe was easy and turned out delicious.
Great recipe! Very easy and it’s delicious!
Three star Michelin recipe! This is the best Bourbon Chicken ever! Even though it took me a little longer on my cook time I won’t fuss, it was well worth the wait. I mixed all my wet ingredients up early afternoon, made it a whole lot easier to prepare. Fry chicken, sizzle the garlic, add the sauce, then the chicken, after 15 minutes I added the wet cornstarch and in two minutes it was ready! I did make one switch, I had fresh ginger root so I used it instead of the powder, otherwise it was cooked to given quantities and directions. I cooked this last night, this morning at breakfast my family wanted to know when I was going to make it again…!!! It was a hit with everyone…. Will be trying more and more of Sabrina’s recipes….if I can break the addiction my family has to the Bourbon Chicken!
Delicious!!!!
Simple yet very tasty recipe the sauce was delightful and perfect consistency
I found that adding a but extra cornstarch at the end makes the sauce a bit thicker.
This is truly the best Bourbon chicken recipe we have ever made! Only thing we changed was taking the ketchup out, since its not a flavor we like. Other than that, this recipe was perfect as is and great over rice. Definitely part of our recipe book. Thank you!!
I loathe ketchup, so I don’t keep it. I replaced it with tomato paste, some extra cider vinegar, and bit more sugar.
Excellent chicken dish!!! Love it ??
Omg I grilled the chicken and made the sauce combined it together fantastic
Sauce was delicious, spot on. I did use chicken breasts but next time I’m going to try thighs for that more authentic tender texture of bourbon chicken. Didn’t change a thing and everything came out perfect IMO.
Made as directed and *chef’s kiss*. Made gluten free with tamari. Thank you!
This was absolutely delicious! The family highly enjoyed it and requested I make it often. Thank you for the recipe. It’s delicious!!
Recipe was awesome, I used Rum instead of bourbon(that’s all I had). It smelled so good with the garlic and used flour instead of cornstarch
This is not bourbon chicken. This is barbecue chicken.
Literally is bourbon chicken. Why comment if it’s ignorant?
Because it has too many different notes of sugar. Like she used apple juice, ketchup and then packs on one CUP….ONE CUP of light brown sugar.
Sauce was much too sweet for me to call it bourbon although it is okay to eat.
This was so good . The reason I gave only 4 stars is it was so sweet.
Should I cut back the sugar to 1/2 cup??
Sure 🙂
What did you do drink the bourbon instead of adding it to the sauce…!?!?
This recipe crushed it! Delicious! I wonder if you take the chicken out after and pan fry it a little more if it would get a little more crispier than added back to the sauce. Either way, as an American born Chinese who grew up with traditional Chinese food almost every night, this was awesome!!
can this be frozen and warmed served later
Possibly…cornstarch-based sauces doesn’t freeze well, though.
We enjoy this but cannot get it to look like yours. It’s light and TONS of sauce. What am I doing wrong?!
I have not tried this particular recipe, but when I make bourbon chicken I let the sauce bubble and reduce down for 10-15min until it gets dark and thick. This recipe has a lot of liquid, maybe reduce the liquid quantities by just a smidge and let it reduce.
Thanks for that tip!!!
Probably not reducing the sauce enough.
Authentic Bourbon chicken does NOT have Bourbon in it. The Bourbon comes from Bourbon Street, where the recipe was invented.
Really good and really easy! Loved it, thanks!
This was very good and a big hit in the house. I love how much sauce it makes. It’s perfect..and just a little spice.
This one of my families favorite. Chicken has good flavor and is very tender
Very good. Whole family loved it. Thank you for recipe.
Nope. Decent recipe but not bourbon chicken at all. Taters and smells more like bbq and not salty like other statements but super sweet
It’s not supposed to be crispy* thighs* can also substitute with honey mustard *
Thank me later 😉
Love this recipe!!!
When I was a teenager I would get a bourbon chicken salad at the mall! This was spot on.
We let it cool down some and served over romaine with some corn, tomatoes, cheese, cucumber and ranch! The way it all mixes together is amazing! I’ve made it another time and served over rice.
Can this be made in the slow cooker? How much would I reduce the liquids?