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.
The chicken is a large and round short-winged bird, domesticated from the red junglefowl of Southeast Asia around 8,000 years ago. Most chickens are raised for food, providing meat and eggs; others are kept as pets or for co*ckfighting.
The sauce is a combination of garlic, ginger, chicken stock, bourbon, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar also goes in for added extra tang. At first It will look like A LOT of sauce, but it cooks down and reduces nicely.
This chicken is perfectly tender and the sauce is amazingly thick, rich and delicious. This cooks up in a flavorful sweet, savory sauce of ketchup, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar and apple juice.
But, at the end of the day, they are distinctly different. Bourbon chicken is an umami bomb that features sweet, nutty, toasty, and spiced notes.Teriyaki chicken, on the other hand, leans into sweet, tangy, and salty flavors.
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.
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.
Bourbon chicken is a dish named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, and for the bourbon whiskey ingredient. The dish is commonly found at North American restaurants serving Cajun-themed or American Chinese cuisine.
The main ingredients are simple: soy sauce, brown sugar, orange juice, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, and, of course, bourbon. When combined, they create a delicious blend of savory, sweet, and tangy flavors. Bourbon chicken is a family favorite in our house, and I bet it will be in yours too.
It was kind of the perfect movie to do that in though because the Chinese takeout drive thru scene still makes me belly laugh. Back to the task at hand, Bourbon Chicken. This chicken is so deliciously sweet and sticky and has a deep bourbon flavor with hints of the apple juice. It's good.
The exact recipe is a well-guarded secret, but a combination of flavors like paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and other herbs and spices are believed to be used. This unique blend creates a savory and aromatic profile that adds depth to the chicken's taste.
If you use bourbon in your sauce, some of the alcohol will cook off, and you'll be left with a little bourbon flavor. If you plan to make this dish for children, the residual alcohol content is something to consider. You would need to cook the sauce for at least three hours to remove all traces of alcohol.
Panda Express Launches New Blazing Bourbon Chicken
The limited-time menu item is a crispy chicken coated in sweet and spicy sauce, made with soy sauce, real bourbon, honey, garlic, and Hot Ones The Last Dab Apollo hot sauce (which is the hottest sauce on the show).
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.
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