Sticky Bourbon Chicken is so much better than take-out and easy to make at home!
Tender chicken is coated with an unmistakably tangy and irresistibly sticky-sweet sauce, for a copycat recipe your family will rave about!
No Fail Recipe
This bourbon chicken recipe is a no-fail favorite and perfect when you’re craving takeout at home. The sauce is both simple and quick, great for busy weeknights!
So what is Bourbon Chicken? This dish is named after the famed Bourbon Street in Louisiana, where it’s said the dish was first created.
It’s an easy stir-fry recipe and one you have likely seen at your local food court in the mall, but truly, best bourbon chicken is made right at home!
Ingredients
BOURBON CHICKEN SAUCE The sauce is a bit sweet and has big flavor. Ingredients include soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and a bit of bourbon whiskey! (All of the alcohol burns off in the cooking process but I have some substitution ideas below if you need).
CHICKEN This recipe uses chicken thighs to make it extra juicy and tender. You can use chicken breast if you prefer but I find the thighs to be juicier and have more flavor.
GARNISH We garnish with a bit of green onion and/or sesame seeds. Add your favorites including chilis, or cilantro!
How to Make Bourbon Chicken
This delicious chicken dish is one of those easy, no-fail favorites to pull out on a weeknight!
- Chop chicken and brown in a frying pan.
- Whisk marinade and add to chicken (per recipe below).
- Add cornstarch mixture and simmer until thickened.
Voila! So easy! Garnish with green onions and serve over rice. While this is a stovetop recipe, you can also make slow cooker bourbon chicken!
What Can I Substitute for Bourbon?
It’s easy to purchase a very inexpensive miniature bottle of bourbon, or just keep a few on hand in the cupboard. You can substitute almost any whisky in this recipe. If you prefer to skip the bourbon, we’ve got you covered.
- Use 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract diluted in 1/4 cup water
- 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar mixed with 1/8 cup apple juice.
Any of these substitutions will change the flavor so it won’t exactly be like a classic Bourbon Chicken, but it’ll be delicious!
Tips for Success
- If time allows, freeze the chicken for 20 minutes before cutting. This makes the task easier.
- Prep all of the ingredients and mix the sauce ahead of time, this dish comes together quickly.
- Use fresh ginger and garlic for the best flavor. Add more chili flakes for more heat.
- Cook the chicken in small batches. It takes a bit of extra time but you’ll get a better brown on it.
- Simmering with the sauce help cook off the alcohol and cook the chicken throughout.
- Rice Vinegar and Rice Wine Vinegar are the same and either works in this recipe. Do not use “seasoned” rice vinegar in this recipe.
Leftovers
Bourbon Chicken can easily be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days or frozen for up to one month! Make sure to store in an airtight container or zippered bag with the date.
Take-Out at Home!
- Cashew Chicken Stir Fry – simple, savory dish
- Lemon Chicken – 4 ingredients sauce
- Chicken Chow Mein – better than take-out
- Sweet and Sour Chicken – deliciously sweet & sour
- Chicken and Broccoli Stirfry
- Teriyaki Chicken – ready in under 30 mins
Did you love this easy bourbon chicken? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup less sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup bourbon
- ¼ cup apple juice
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 2 green onions thinly sliced, green tops only
Instructions
- Trim off any extra fat on the chicken thighs and cut into 1-inch chunks.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl whisk together soy sauce, bourbon, apple juice, dark brown sugar, grated garlic, grated ginger, rice wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and water.
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and cook in batches until browned and mostly cooked through.
- Pour the sauce mixture into the skillet with the chicken and simmer for 15 minutes. This will help cook off the alcohol in the bourbon and fully cook the chicken throughout.
- In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and the cold water. Add to mixture and cook until the sauce has thickened and coats the chicken fully.
- Stir in green onion tops and serve over rice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Asian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Loved it. My sause didn’t come out as dark as yours but very tasty. It will go in the monthly rotation.
So glad you loved it, Joe!
I’ve been searching for the perfect Bourbon Chicken recipe for some time. Tonight I found it. I followed the recipe with one exception, I omitted the ginger. My husband commented if I’d also omitted the red pepper flakes it would have been spot on (to our mall’s version)…but we all liked the little heat it added. I may have been on a lower heat setting, so browning took a tad longer…but I will toss the other recipes and this is a keeper! If only I’d made a double batch!!!
Made this recipe tonight. It is delicious. Didn’t have apple juices I just used chicken broth and it was awesome.
It was very good. I did add about 1/4 cup of honey to the recipe.
ACK, just discovered I have no chicken! Will this work with pork? It sounds sooo good!
I haven’t tried it but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! Let us know how it goes!
Can you substitute some other vinegar for the rice wine vinegar?
I’ve only tried this as written and while it will change the flavor, I think it should work just fine. Let us know how it works out for you!
I have used apple cider vinegar, and came out perfect
And I also replaced the Bourbon with Brandy, I am not a fan of Bourbon….OK call it Brandy Chicken (JK…Bourbon Chicken came from Bourbon Street in New Orleans and is not named for the alcohol.
This is a great recipe and super easy. The only thing I would add is to velvet your chicken first so it doesn’t get tough. It really helps. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for the tip Dayna!
what does velvet your chicken mean?
This involves tossing the meat with cornstarch and usually rice vinegar/soy sauce and egg white and let it marinate a while. It’s usually cooked in either oil or water to complete the process. It’s often used in stir-fries, like beef stir fry or lemon chicken.
I definitely overcooked the chicken so it was dry. I whipped up a little sauce in the same pan and poured over the rice and chicken. That helped, but i still didn’t love it. I like the idea of doubling the sauce. Maybe we will try it once more
Just for clarification, Apple juice or apple cider vinegar?
The recipe calls for apple juice Jasmine. Enjoy!
Great
Excellent! This will be a regular recipe for me.
Excellent recipe. A little salty otherwise I would have rated it a 5. Definitely need to double the sauce. Very delicious!
tasty! i used ground ginger but no one noticed lol. it took me an hour and 15 min to make so i’m giving it 4 stars.
Soooo good! Made as is just doubled the sauce recipe (husband likes to sop…lol). Family loved it.
Definitely not a favorite. I made this as is with the Bourbon and I won’t make it again. It was OK, but not a repeater.
Sorry to hear that Jo Ann. If it was just the bourbon you can always replace it with a ¼ cup orange juice, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract diluted in ¼ cup water, or ⅛ cup apple cider vinegar mixed with ⅛ cup apple juice.
So good! Instant family favorite (subbed in OJ for the bourbon. Lots of sugar in it, but hey… Everyone ate it, so considered it a solid win! Thanks Spend with Pennies! Great Recipes!
Happy to hear it was a win Liz. Thanks!
I normally don’t eat dark meat and the biggest mistake I did was, I only cooked up three chicken thighs for three of us. This chicken was so good I wanted more of it. Next time I will do 2 pounds of chicken and double the sauce recipe.
Oh my gosh! That is awesome Tammy! Glad you loved it so much :)
Fantastic, delicious dish! I used chicken breasts cut into pieces. I doubled the sauce (not the pepper flakes, though). I also used an inexpensive bourbon. The dish came out great! Thank you for sharing it!! Absolutely fantastic!
So glad you enjoyed it, Natalie!
Made it tonight! Delicious! Adding to my meal rotation. My husband loved it!
Heya Holly,
Can I use Scotch instead of Bourbon? I’m not a Bourbon drinker and don’t really want to make the purchase.
Any whisky should work just fine. Enjoy!