We live about 30 minutes from an outlet mall, so we go there more often than we should. Becca absolutely loves the bourbon chicken at the Chinese restaurant in the food court, and I have made special trips to the mall just to get the chicken!
Most of the recipes out there are either attempts to copy the New Orleans original (this is really nothing like that) or some sort of barbecue type sauce.
After much tinkering, trial and error I finally came up with a recipe that is nearly identical (close enough) to what is served at our food court. We love it, I hope you do too.
If your house is like ours, there are probably some General Tso’s fans sitting next to the Bourbon Chicken fans. You can find my General Tso’s copycat recipe here. You might also want to try some of my delicious and easy homemade egg rolls.
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The full recipe card is at the bottom of this post, but I’ll walk you through the process with pictures. If you just want the recipe, scroll down.
Cut the chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces, and remove any excess fat or skin.
In a small bowl combine the ginger, pepper, soy sauce, whisky (or apple juice), water, garlic, vinegar and brown sugar. Set aside.
In a large saute pan or skillet heat the oil on medium high heat.
Add the chicken and cook until the juices have cooked off and the chicken starts to brown, about 8-10 minutes. Stir the chicken every 1-2 minutes so it doesn’t burn and browns evenly.
Add the bourbon mixture and stir well. Allow the liquid to come to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. Don’t rush this as you want the alcohol to cook off from the whiskey.
Add in the cornstarch/water liquid and stir briskly. The sauce will thicken quickly. (If the sauce doesn’t thicken up for you disolve another Tbsp of cornstarch in 2 Tbsp of water and stir that in)
1/4 tsp black pepper (I used 4 turns on the pepper mill)
1/3 Cup soy sauce
1/3 Cup Bourbon (or whatever brown whiskey you have sitting around. Dark rum would probably work too). If you don’t keep alcohol in your house you can substitute apple juice or cranberry juice. If you use juice, use a little less brown sugar. It really is delicious with just apple juice and no Bourbon.
1/2 Cup water
1 Tbsp rice vinegar (white wine vinegar or plain white vinegar would do if you don’t have rice vinegar)
1/2 Cup brown sugar, tightly packed
1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tbsp cold water
Cut the chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces, and remove any excess fat or skin.
In a small bowl combine the ginger, pepper, soy sauce, whisky, water, garlic, vinegar and brown sugar. Set aside.
In a large saute pan or skillet heat the oil on medium high heat.
Add the chicken and cook until the juices have cooked off and the chicken starts to brown, about 8-10 minutes. Stir the chicken every 1-2 minutes so it doesn’t burn and browns evenly.
Add the bourbon mixture and stir well. Allow the liquid to come to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. Don’t rush this as you want the alcohol to cook off from the whiskey.
Add in the cornstarch liquid and stir briskly. The sauce will thicken quickly.
Serve over rice.
If you don’t have or don’t want to use whiskey in this recipe simply substitute apple juice. The taste is nearly identical. You may use chicken breast in place of chicken thighs, but the food court in my area definitely uses thighs.
If you don't keep alcohol in your house you can substitute apple juice or cranberry juice. If you use juice, use a little less brown sugar. It really is delicious with just apple juice and no Bourbon.
The name derives from Bourbon street in New Orleans where this chicken dish was invented. Bourbon Chicken is similar to teriyaki since it's sweet, sticky, and salty. There are a several different ingredients like apple juice, vinegar, ketchup that make this taste distinctly different than teriyaki chicken.
Why Is It Called Bourbon Chicken? Bourbon chicken is named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans (that's also why the “Bourbon” in Bourbon chicken” is capitalized). As the story goes, the dish was popularized in a Chinese restaurant that was located on Bourbon Street.
Vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar have often been used to mimic the taste of bourbon in recipes, but you can clearly tell when they are used as substitutes.
The fabulously deep, oaky taste of Woodford Reserve straight bourbon has the ability to enhance many styles of homemade barbecue sauce, whether we're talking tomato-based sauces or mustard-based varieties like South Carolina BBQ sauce.
The Recipe - Bourbon is distilled from a fermented mash of grain, yeast and water. The “mash bill” must have a minimum of 51% corn. For most bourbons, the average is about 70%. Other grains such as rye, malted barley, and wheat are considered “flavor” grains.
Bourbon must be produced from a mash of not less than 51% corn, but typically, a bourbon mash contains ~ 70% corn, 15% rye, and 15% malted barley. A rye whiskey mash can contain 51% rye, 39% corn, and 10% malted barley. The Tennessee whiskey can be made from a mash of 80% corn, 10% rye, and 10% malt.
Almost all bourbons also have malted barley, which lends a nutty, smoky flavor and provides enzymes that turn starches into sugars later in the production process. Many distillers also use rye and wheat to flavor their bourbons. Rye makes the bourbon spicy, while wheat produces a softer, sweeter flavor.
Panda Express teamed up with Hot Ones to launch a menu item that's the restaurant's spiciest dish ever. The pair created the new Blazing Bourbon Chicken—a spicy Taiwanese-inspired take on the Southern classic that's made with real hot sauce from the “Hot Ones” interview show.
The Bourbon Chicken sauce has a hint of sugar for sweetness and vinegar for acidity and of course bourbon! Soy sauce is also added for an Unami flavor. It is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. If you would rather not use alcohol or don't have it at home you could substitute chicken stock instead or just omit.
Most stories claim that the dish originated on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, with some further stating that it was specifically a Chinese restaurant on Bourbon Street that first came up with the recipe, due, perhaps, to its many Chinese elements.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), baked or simmered dishes that contain alcohol will retain 40% of the original amount after 15 minutes of cooking, 35% after 30 minutes and 25% after an hour. But there's no point at which all of the alcohol disappears.
Bourbon Chicken is chicken thighs coated in a sticky, sweet Bourbon sauce. It is an Asian-BBQ fusion that is absolutely wonderful. We serve it over jasmine or fried rice and it's an incredibly easy, flavor-packed dish.
All barbecue cooks have their own "secret sauce," but for the most part, each relies on some sort of sugar, something acidic like vinegar, fat – typically butter – and something else to make it special. This sauce uses molasses, lemon juice, bourbon and Worcestershire sauce as its main flavors.
Savory bourbon sauce for grilled and smoked meats are made with bourbon, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, and spices. And has notes of caramelized sugar and smoky flavors. Does bourbon sauce have alcohol? Yes, bourbon sauce has alcohol, but the alcohol cooks out as the sauce cooks.
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