This website may contain affiliate links and advertising so that we can provide recipes to you. Read my disclosure policy.
Bourbon Chicken is juicy, tender chicken thighs cut into pieces simmered in a sweet, brown sugar glaze that will melt in your mouth!
Reasons You Will LOVE This Chicken Recipe
- The flavor is out of this world: The rick and thick sauce covers all of the chicken and is made out of bourbon and brown sugar as the base! YUM.
- Easy: This recipe uses simple ingredients. No need to run to the store for any fancy seasonings!
- Ready in 30 Minutes: This recipe is quick to whip up, and the leftovers are incredible! Serve it with some Perfectly Soft Buttery Rolls and this Creamy Cucumber Salad to complete your meal!
Ingredients in Bourbon Chicken
All the ingredients are most you already have in your pantry and they are ready to go with one bowl whisked together. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all of the exact measurements.
- Chicken Thighs: I like using chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts because they have more flavor. The meat is extra tender and juicy when simmered in the glaze.
- Olive Oil: This is used to cook the chicken but also adds some flavor!
- Bourbon: This is rich in flavor, and the alcohol cooks out when simmered with the glaze. If you don’t want to use bourbon, you can use apple cider instead!
- Soy Sauce: brings added flavor and a pinch of salty taste.
- Brown Sugar: I use light brown sugar in this recipe, but dark will work fine too!
- Garlic Cloves: I can’t resist adding a hint of garlic to the recipe!
- Cornstarch: This coats the chicken making it a little crispy on the outside.
- Water: This is added to the sauce. Add more or less depending on the consistency that you like.
- Sliced Green Onions: These are optional but I love adding them as a garnish on top!
How to Cook Bourbon Chicken
When you combine these ingredients, they are so delicious! It is a tried and true recipe that is a family favorite.
- Cook the chicken: In a medium sized skillet over medium high heat add the olive oil and chicken. Cook until brown and no longer pink.
- Whisk together sauce: In a small bowl whisk together bourbon, soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic. Whisk together cornstarch and water and add to the sauce.
- Combine chicken and sauce in a skillet: Pour the sauce over the chicken and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens up. Serve over rice and garnish with chopped green onions if desired.
Slow Cooker Bourbon Chicken
So many people want to cook this bourbon chicken in the crockpot and let me tell you, it’s so delicious and it makes a great slow cooker meal! Find all of the info on my post: Crockpot Bourbon Chicken.
Bourbon Chicken Substitutes and Variations
- Thighs or Chicken Breasts: I use chicken thighs but you are welcome to use chicken breasts instead Chicken thighs are more tender and juicy while using chicken breasts reduces the fat.
- Bourbon Substitute: If you don’t have bourbon, then you can use apple cider instead!
- Does the Bourbon Burn Off? The alcohol from the bourbon evaporates completely while cooking. It is safe for children to eat.
- For crispier chicken: Dip your chicken in a beaten egg and roll into flour. Then fry it in some oil for a crispier chicken before adding the sauce.
- Add some spice: If you love a little heat, add some red pepper flakes, sriracha sauce, or paprika to the glaze when whisking.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Bourbon Chicken
Storing
- In the Refrigerator: Once your chicken has cooled then you can store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- In the Freezer: Bourbon chicken is great to freeze! Place it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to label it with the date!
Reheating
If you are reheating frozen leftovers, thaw them in your fridge overnight before you reheat them.
- In the Microwave: Heat in 1-2 minute intervals on high, stirring in between.
- On the Stovetop: Reheat your bourbon chicken over medium heat, adding a splash of water or broth if needed.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes to Try!
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Bourbon Chicken
Bourbon Chicken is juicy, tender chicken thighs cut into pieces simmered in a sweet, brown sugar glaze that will melt in your mouth!
Equipment
- skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken thighs or breasts cut into one inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup bourbon*
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- sliced green onions for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium sized skillet over medium high heat add the olive oil and chicken. Cook until brown and no longer pink.
- In a small bowl whisk together bourbon, soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic. Whisk together cornstarch and water and add to the sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens up. Serve over rice and garnish with chopped green onions if desired.
Video
Notes
*Can substitute with apple cider.
Originally Posted on September 10, 2019
Updated on August 20, 2024
Nutrition
Calories: 194kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 11gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 856mgPotassium: 161mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 44IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
Just made half of this recipe and scratched my head if I accidentally put the double amount of soy sauce in. But I’m confident I put only 1/4 cup with my half pound chicken.
Had to add a lot of sugar and some vinegar near the end of glazing to rescue the dish but even mixed with plain white rice it’s veeerrrry salty.
Way, way too salty. It went straight into the garbage. Couldn’t even thin out the salt with extra cornstarch and water. Sprinkling the chicken first with salt was overkill. Then it floats in pure sodium from the soy sauce. A regretful waste of food.
Can we use low sodium soy sauce? I didn’t see where salt is supposed to be sprinkled on chicken in these directions. I can see how salty this could be if extra salt is added.
Of course! Low sodium soy sauce can definitely be used.
I made this tonight for dinner, but used the sauce quantities for the crockpot version because we wanted more sauce than the skillet version. It was amazing!!! I was a little concerned because of all the comments saying it was too salty. It wasn’t. It was perfect. But then again, I have 19 different kinds of salt in my pantry, maybe I’m immune lol.
Too salty to the point of being inedible. Nasty and thrown away! If low sodium soy sauce should have been used (as mentioned in the comments), this should have been stated somewhere – we cook Chinese dishes with regular soy sauce all the time without issue. Also, many techniques, like the cornstarch/water ratio and adding it to sauce before sauce was heated (among other things) made this recipe not make sense. Chicken was very overcooked as well. I highly recommend trying a different recipe!!!
What bourbon did you use?
I made a double batch. I had to adapt the recipe as I lacked the chicken, oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, cloves, cornstarch, and green onions. I’m going to be honest, the consistency wasn’t what I expected, and I had to serve it in a glass, but it turned out surprisingly well! I loved it and I’m feeling awesome right about now.
Hank I think you may have just drank a glass of bourbon 🙂
Tasty recipe. What I like most is that it only uses ingredients that I always have on hand; some of the other internet recipes call for things like apple juice, which requires a trip to the store, and then the remainder sits in the fridge for months because I only need less than a cup.
I like a lot of sauce, so I found this made enough for only about 1 1/2 servings, so scale it accordingly.
A note on the alcohol: if you’re worried about it, alcohol *never* evaporates completely after you mix it with water. Water & alcohol form a new substance with a boiling point somewhere in between, so they evaporate together. If you want zero alcohol, you’d need to simmer the bourbon separately before adding the water.
Delicious and easy however this recipe does not make eight servings; possibly too large servings or three regular sized servings at best.
Inedible. Way too salty. I mean stupidly salty. Followed recipe and we both double and triple checked and had to throw it all in the trash.
Did you use regular soy sauce or low sodium? Always use low sodium for cooking.
Yes, quite an easy mistake to make, if you’re new to chinese cooking.
Did you use low sodium soy sauce? Never cook with regular. In small dipping quantities regular is fine, but you’ll end up with way too salty dishes otherwise.
The burbon chicken sounds really good is their any crock pot instructions for it
Yes! Make your sauce with all of the ingredients EXCEPT for the cornstarch and water. Add the chicken to the crockpot and pour sauce over the chicken. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. Once it is done cooking, add in the cornstarch and water to thicken the sauce. Serve over rice.
Should probably brown the chicken first.
Please, make it first normal — not crockpot, then do it crockpot. You’ll find that you probably like it so much more. Or, we tried CP recipes first, then we realized that the taste isn’t always as good as doing it in a Wok or on the skillet.
Very good!
Family loved it, easy quick meal.
Loved it! My hubby said “Bomb Ass Delicious!” lol it was a little salty but for a first try it was tasty good. Next time I will use the low sodium soy sauce, half cup of water and 3 teaspoons of corn starch.
(I 2x the recipe)
This was way to salty from the soy sauce. If I made it again, it would be with a lot less soy sauce. It was also my mistake for not reading all the comments about the saltiness. I also like the suggestion about aminos, I may try that too, but again much less.
Good recipe,the only thing I would do the next time I make this is to use half the soy sauce and add water 1/4 cup.
Yes, definitely! It was wayyyyyy to salty!
Has anyone tried this recipe using monk fruit extract? I often substitute monk fruit and maple flavoring in place of brown sugar in recipes. do yo think this would work? We have diabetic in our family. Would you replace the volume of the brown sugar with anything? I’ve also used pea protein powder as a thicker for low carb diets in place of corn starch. The taste goes well with soups and sauces.
The brown sugar is not only got flavoring, but for the glazing effect. I use monk fruit too, but I’m not sure it would work well here. I’m might use a brown sugar substitute. I plan to make the recipe as is and have that as the only carb in the meal.