This incredibly delicious Sweet Bourbon Chicken is sure to be your new favorite dinner! Crisp pan-fried chicken simmered in a rich bourbon sauce–serve over rice for a better-than-takeout meal at home.
Sweet Bourbon Chicken
This recipe is so good! It’s one of my go-to recipes that I love to make for company or any time I’m craving takeout but want to save money and make it myself. Bourbon chicken is a mall food court favorite, and although this recipe is a little different than that (if anyone has an authentic food court bourbon chicken recipe, let me know!) it still really hits the spot.
While you’re here, check out these other top favorite recipes from Mom Needs Chocolate: Rich and Creamy Peanut Butter Pie | Whipped Coffee Recipe | Carrot Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting | Family-Style Arroz con Pollo
Ingredients
I highly recommend that you read through my detailed instructions here in this post to make sure you fully understand the process of making Sweet Bourbon Chicken before you begin. I have the whole recipe with ingredients and instructions in an easy to print format at the end of this article.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 5 tablespoons corn starch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup vegetable, corn, or canola oil
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 cup water
- 2/3 cup soy sauce
- ½ cup apple juice
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- ¼-1/3 cup bourbon (1/4 cup for a light bourbon flavor or 1/3 cup for stronger bourbon flavor)
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
How to Make Better-Than-Takeout Sweet Bourbon Chicken
STEP 1: Trim any fat off of the chicken and cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together 4 tablespoons of the corn starch with the salt and pepper; add the chicken and toss well to completely coat.
STEP 2: In a large skillet or pot, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add half of the chicken pieces and cook on one side without stirring for 3 minutes. Turn each piece of chicken and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
STEP 3: Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and set aside. Add the remaining half of the oil to the skillet, then add the remaining pieces of uncooked chicken. Cook the chicken on one side without stirring for 3 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
STEP 4: Add the minced garlic to the skillet and sauté for 20-30 seconds until fragrant. To the skillet at the water, soy sauce, apple juice, chicken broth, ketchup, bourbon, vinegar, brown sugar, ground ginger, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
STEP 5: Reduce the heat to low and add the chicken to the sauce. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce is reduced by half.
STEP 6: Mix the remaining 1 tablespoon of corn starch with 1-2 tablespoons of water, then stir into the sauce to thicken (optional).
STEP 7: Serve the bourbon chicken hot over steamed rice.
The Chicken Spits!
But seriously… it does. The chicken will “spit” oil while you pan fry it, so I suggest you use tongs to flip each piece. I even wear an oven mitt to keep the oil from hitting my skin and then I cover the pot with a splatter lid while the chicken cooks. If you don’t have a splatter lid, get one! Click here to see one on Amazon (affiliate).
Sugar
This recipe calls for a full cup of brown sugar. I know… it’s a lot! If you absolutely need to reduce the sugar, you can, but do know that it will seriously impact the flavor. I tried using 1/2 cup of brown sugar and even 3/4 cup, but there was no denying the 1 cup was the right amount in terms of flavor.
Reduced Sodium
To lower the salt content, use reduced sodium soy sauce and chicken broth.
Spice it Up!
If you’d like your Sweet Bourbon Chicken to be spicy, add extra red pepper flakes and even some sriracha to the sauce. Sweet and spicy is a delicious combo!
Leftovers
You can keep the leftover Sweet Bourbon Chicken in an airtight food storage container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave.
Print
Sweet Bourbon Chicken
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
This incredibly delicious Sweet Bourbon Chicken is sure to be your new favorite dinner! Crisp pan-fried chicken simmered in a rich bourbon sauce–serve over rice for a better-than-takeout meal at home.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 5 tablespoons corn starch, divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup vegetable, corn, or canola oil
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 cup water
- 2/3 cup soy sauce
- ½ cup apple juice
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- ¼–1/3 cup bourbon (1/4 cup for a light bourbon flavor or 1/3 cup for a little stronger bourbon flavor)
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Trim any fat off of the chicken and cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together 4 tablespoons of the corn starch with the salt and pepper; add the chicken and toss well to completely coat.
- In a large skillet or pot, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add half of the chicken pieces and cook on one side without stirring for 3 minutes. Turn each piece of chicken and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and set aside. Add the remaining half of the oil to the skillet, then add the remaining pieces of uncooked chicken. Cook the chicken on one side without stirring for 3 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the minced garlic to the skillet and sauté for 20-30 seconds until fragrant. To the skillet at the water, soy sauce, apple juice, chicken broth, ketchup, bourbon, vinegar, brown sugar, ground ginger, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the chicken to the sauce. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce is reduced by half.
- Mix the remaining 1 tablespoon of corn starch with 1-2 tablespoons of water, then stir into the sauce to thicken (optional).
- Serve the bourbon chicken hot over steamed rice.
Keywords: bourbon, chicken, sweet chicken, sweet and sour chicken, mall chicken, Chinese chicken recipe, crispy chicken, rice
Tell Me About Your Chicken!
After you make this Sweet Bourbon Chicken recipe, come back and tell me how you like it! You can leave a comment and recipe rating in the comments section below. You can also click here to see this on Pinterest and leave a comment there or even your own picture. Another option would be to tag me on Instagram @MomNeedsChocolate. Can’t wait to hear from you!
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