Bourbon Chicken

If you’re looking for a better-than-takeout bourbon chicken, then this recipe is for you.

Ingredients and Prep

First off, mince some garlic—four to eight cloves, depending on how you feel. Give that garlic a smash; this is the best way to release the skin and the oils inside of the garlic. I know it might be tempting, but never use the pre-minced jarred garlic; that does not taste the same. You want fresh flavors for this. Give it a nice mince, wash your fingers, and once your garlic’s minced, set it aside.

Cutting the Chicken

We’re going to cut the chicken. Today I’m using two skinless chicken breasts, but you could definitely double the recipe really easily, and if you want, use dark meat too. We’re gonna cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces; you want this to cook really quickly, so small pieces are better. While you’re doing this prep work, you could be making some rice as well, because that’s what we’ll be serving it with. This is one of our favorite recipes at home; I make it about once every two weeks at the very least. Brian’s obsessed with it—it’s really tasty—and I like it because it’s super quick.

Coating the Chicken

We want this chicken to be crisp, delicious, and really saucy, but we’re not going to deep-fry it. We’re going to dust the chicken with cornstarch and cook it in just a bit of oil; it’s going to be amazing and super easy. My recipe says about a tablespoon of cornstarch, but you can honestly use quite a bit more. Use your knife to get a nice coating; don’t worry if it’s not perfect—you’re just getting a light dusting all over the chicken. You want to see the pieces nicely coated; it’s gonna be so crisp.

Making the Sauce

Before we get cooking, we’re gonna make the sauce. Put the chicken aside and wash your hands. This is bourbon chicken, so we’re going to use bourbon—about a third of a cup. It gives a lot of flavor and it’s going to be so delicious. Add a third of a cup of soy sauce (I’m using light soy sauce, but both work), half a cup of chicken stock, a third of a cup of brown sugar, half a teaspoon of onion powder, half a teaspoon of ground ginger (you could definitely use fresh ginger if you want), and about a quarter teaspoon of red-pepper flakes. A little heat adds a lot to this dish. Mix everything up just to dissolve the sugar, then set the sauce aside.

Cooking the Chicken

Into a large skillet, add about two liberal tablespoons of olive oil. You want the oil to get nice and hot—you’ll see it dancing on the surface. It’s really beneficial to use a heavy pan for even heat conduction; thin pans can scorch things and create hot spots. Get your tongs ready because this will be sizzling. Once the oil is hot, cook the chicken in batches if needed to avoid crowding. Separate the bite-sized pieces. You could season the chicken a little, but I don’t think it needs salt or pepper because of the flavors in the sauce. Cook the chicken a couple of minutes on each side until it’s cooked through; they’re small pieces and we’re using fairly high heat. Let the chicken sit to get nice browning and caramelization; the cornstarch will help it crisp up. Once the edges are golden, flip and continue cooking. When the chicken is nice and golden, transfer it to a bowl while you cook the rest.

Finishing the Dish

All those brown bits in the pan are going to be delicious, so don’t worry about them. Decrease the heat a little, add the garlic, and cook for 30–60 seconds just until fragrant—you don’t want it to burn. Give the sauce one last mix, then pour it into the pan to deglaze. All the alcohol from the bourbon cooks off, leaving only the flavor. Once the bubbling subsides, reduce the heat to low, return the chicken to the pan, and simmer until the sauce reduces, thickens slightly, and everything becomes glossy, coated, dark, and delicious.

Green Onions and Plating

While the chicken simmers, chop some green onions into thin pieces. Most will be mixed in at the very end so they cook just a little, and a few will garnish the top. When the sauce has reduced by about half and looks thick and glossy, add in most of the onions. Turn off the heat, plate the bourbon chicken over rice, sprinkle with the remaining green onions, and enjoy.