Best Bourbon Chicken

Bourbon chicken is traditionally a Southern dish, and after moving to Pennsylvania from Oklahoma, I really missed it. I searched for a recipe I liked but couldn't find one, so this is my delicious version, spiced up with ginger, fruit juice, red pepper, and a little Southern Comfort! Serve over rice.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 417 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ⅔ cup soy sauce
• 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces
• ¾ cup apple-grape-cherry juice
• ¼ cup peach-flavored bourbon liqueur (such as Southern Comfort ®)
• ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• ¼ cup apple-grape-cherry juice

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large, heavy pan. Cook and stir chicken pieces in hot oil until lightly golden on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a bowl and set aside.

Step 2

Whisk together water, brown sugar, 3/4 cup fruit juice, soy sauce, ketchup, bourbon liqueur, vinegar, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, and ginger in the Dutch oven. Bring sauce to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Step 3

Stir chicken into sauce, then bring to a full boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until sauce is reduced and thickened and chicken pieces are no longer pink in the middle, about 20 minutes.

Step 4

Remove chicken pieces to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Stir together 1/4 cup fruit juice with cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth; whisk into sauce, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Bring to a simmer; cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Return chicken pieces to sauce and stir to combine.