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Easy Bourbon Chicken Recipe

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★★★★★

4.4 from 90 reviews

This Easy Bourbon Chicken recipe features tender boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked in a flavorful bourbon sauce with a perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess. The chicken pieces are pan-seared until crisp on the edges and then simmered in a rich homemade sauce made with bourbon, apple juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar. It’s a quick stovetop recipe that results in a deliciously sticky and satisfying dish suitable for weeknight dinners.

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken and Coating

  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

For Cooking

  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Sauce Ingredients

  • 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

  1. Prepare Chicken: Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. In a large bowl, toss the chicken with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, kosher salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
  2. Heat Oil and Cook Chicken (First Half): Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough that a small piece of chicken sizzles, add half of the chicken pieces. Cook for 3 minutes without stirring to allow edges to crisp, then turn and cook an additional 3 minutes. Remove cooked chicken from the skillet.
  3. Cook Chicken (Second Half): Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and cook the second half of the chicken pieces in the same way, cooking 3 minutes per side until crisp and fully cooked. Remove chicken from the pan.
  4. Sauté Garlic: Add minced garlic to the skillet and cook for about 20 seconds, or until fragrant, careful not to burn it.
  5. Make Sauce: Pour in water, apple juice, bourbon, chicken broth, lite soy sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, onion powder, ground ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil.
  6. Simmer Chicken in Sauce: Return the cooked chicken pieces to the skillet. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by about half and thickened slightly.
  7. Thicken Sauce: In a small glass, mix the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water to create a slurry. Stir this into the skillet and cook until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency.
  8. Serve: Once the sauce is thick and glossy, serve the bourbon chicken immediately. Enjoy!

Notes

  • For extra crispy chicken, cook the chicken pieces 30 seconds to a minute longer on each side before removing from the skillet.
  • Adding cornstarch to the sauce helps thicken it and keeps the chicken from becoming overly soft by delaying the absorption of sauce.
  • Use lite soy sauce to reduce sodium content while maintaining rich flavor.
  • Make sure to simmer the sauce long enough to reduce it by half for optimal flavor concentration.
  • This recipe can be made ahead and reheated; sauce may thicken further upon standing, so add a splash of water when reheating if needed.

Keywords: Bourbon chicken, easy chicken recipe, stovetop chicken, sweet and tangy chicken, bourbon sauce

Find it online: https://cookwithlea.com/easy-bourbon-chicken-recipe/