Bourbon Chicken
This Bourbon Chicken recipe is healthier than the kind you find at mall food courts but just as flavorful. Bite sized pieces of chicken breast simmered in a flavorful sauce, served over rice. Ditch the take-out and make this instead!
I won these adorable bowls, place mats, and chop sticks from a giveaway on Jenny’s blog Picky Palate! This is my first time winning a giveaway, so I was so excited. These are so adorable that I just had to make a dinner to go with them.
I’ve made this recipe for Bourbon Chicken a few times, and we really like it! It has a wonderful flavor, and it’s not fried like a lot of similar recipes. There’s no bourbon in this recipe. It’s actually named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Bourbon Chicken is a popular dish at food court Chinese restaurants. This version is a healthier take on the food court classic.
I served this over brown rice, but it would be fantastic with jasmine rice or any other kind you prefer. The original recipe serves 4. I cut down the amount to serve 2 but keep the amount of sauce the same – we really like sauce! If you don’t require much sauce, you may want to scale back (or scale up the chicken). I add a slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken the sauce up a bit, since we prefer it that way.
Gluten Free Bourbon Chicken
Use gluten free soy sauce to make this a completely gluten free dish.
Looking for Additional Healthier Take Out Recipes?
Check out these recipes:
Red Curry Rice Noodles with Chicken
Simplified Pad Thai
Garlic Chicken with Rice or Rice Noodles
Honey Chicken Kabobs
Coconut Curry Chicken
P.F. Chang’s Copycat Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Chicken Fried Rice (Soy Free)
Skinny Orange Chicken
Chili Coconut Chicken Soup
Bourbon Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the sauce
- 1 garlic clove (crushed)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried ground ginger
- 1/4-3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 1/4 cup apple juice
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce (if using regular soy sauce, use less or add more brown sugar or some honey to balance out the salt)
For the slurry (optional)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned, then remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Add sauce ingredients to a small bowl or glass measuring cup and whisk together. Add sauce to the skillet, heating over medium heat until well mixed and sugar is dissolved.
- Add the chicken back to skillet and bring to a hard boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, add a slurry of cornstarch and water (premixed in a separate bowl) to reach desired consistency.
- Serve over hot rice, if desired.
This looks so good. I'm definitely adding it to my list. And the presentation is awesome with those adorable bowls, mats, and chopsticks!
That looks delicious. How sneaky of you to post the pic…After many months someone asked what recipe my header pic was from. I'm posting the recipe at the end of the month-it took someone 5 months to notice! hahaha
this marinade looks great congrats one winning the cute chopsticks
This looks so good! I don't like red meat so I am always looking for new ways to make chicken more exciting. Adding this recipe to my list – thanks!
What cute stuff! How fun to win a giveaway. This looks so good- I am sure my family would love it!
What a cute bowl and chopstick set! Looks so good with that apple juice and apple cider vinegar in it!
oh dear, oh dear…they look CRAZY good. I MUST try this at once!
Mouth watering. Scrumptious. I must try this!
oh my! I am going to attempt to make this… I usually shy away from chicken that looks like only Panda Express could make! I'm so excited I found your blog!!
-Mini Baker
This sounds so fabulous! I love that it's like the chicken you get at the mall, but I'm sure much healthier! I bookmarked this to try very soon!!
I love bourbon chicken so I am going to have to try this. Thanks for sharing!!!!
Yum! I made this for my family and it's a winner! I turned down the heat so the kids would eat it and they loved it.
Thank you very much for this great and easy to prepare recipe. I tried somone else's recipe last night and it didn't work out at all! I was determined to try again, and I used your recipe and even my picky wife said it was great. I used less red pepper for my wife's taste, but overall I followed your recipe. Thanks
I'm so glad you liked it Kacey and Mike!
Just tried this today,,
very yummy i used fish sauce instead of soy sauce coz i was out of soy sauce.. all i can say is YUMMY!
Came across this recipe on Pinterest that someone had pinned. Made this today and was VERY pleased with the results!! So yummy!! Thanks for posting this! I will definitely be making this one again!
Very good. I would reduce the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon. GREAT!
Made this for dinner tonight. Delish! Will definitely make again. I'm going to reduce the red pepper as well; also, I used dark brown sugar because it was what I had on hand. Loved this recipe! My husband is still raving about it.
How much Bourbon?
This recipe does not contain any bourbon. It's actually named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans (according to Wikipedia). Some versions may call for bourbon, but this one does not.
My family and I really enjoyed this recipe. It will definitely be added to my "must have" recipes.