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    Ingredients » Recipes » Chicken

    Easy Bourbon Street Chicken Recipe

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information. Published: Jul 7, 2022 by Dee

    This Easy Bourbon Street Chicken Recipe makes flavorful chicken in a sweet sticky sauce. Better than takeout and perfect for busy weeknights when you need a quick dinner!  via @meamel

    This Easy Bourbon Street Chicken Recipe makes flavorful chicken in a sweet sticky sauce. Better than takeout and perfect for busy weeknights when you need a quick dinner!

    Jump to Recipe -
    bourbon street chicken pieces with rice on a plate
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make Bourbon Street Chicken
    • Cook Time
    • What to Serve with Bourbon Chicken
    • Variations
    • How to Store
    • Recipe
    • Reviews

    Back in the day, I used to love grabbing a quick bite to eat from the Bourbon Street Grill in the mall. Since it's hard to find good bourbon chicken near me, these days, I'd much rather make my own Bourbon chicken at home!

    This quick and easy recipe for Bourbon chicken is super simple and comes together in no time. So, no need to make a trip to the mall food court or your local Chinese restaurant if you're craving this popular chicken recipe!

    By the way, the title refers to Bourbon Street in New Orleans, where this easy recipe originally comes from. If you're looking for Bourbon Street chicken recipes without bourbon, scroll down to recipe variations section.

    Ingredients

    You only need a few ingredients to make your own homemade Bourbon chicken. What's not already in your pantry should be easy to find online or at local grocery stores.

    • Skinless chicken breasts -- or dark chicken meat
    • Olive oil or Vegetable oil
    • Sea salt
    • Ground black pepper
    • Garlic powder or minced garlic
    • Ground ginger
    • Dried minced onions or onion powder
    • Bourbon whisky
    • Apple juice
    • Low-sodium soy sauce or regular soy sauce
    • Brown sugar -- or light brown sugar
    • Ketchup
    • Cornstarch -- to thicken the sauce
    • Water or chicken broth

    How to Make Bourbon Street Chicken

    First, cut up your chicken into bite sized pieces. Then, heat up a little oil in a large skillet or wok, and add the chicken and spices.

    You just need to cook the chicken on medium heat until it's no longer pink. It will continue to cook after you add the sauce.

    cubed chicken breast in frying pan

    While the chicken is cooking, you can make the ingredients for the Bourbon sauce in a medium bowl. Or, you can just add them all to the frying pan.

    If you want see how the sauce tastes, I recommend mixing it up in a mixing bowl first.

    That way, you can adjust the ingredients. The next time you make it, you can add the sauce ingredients directly to the pan if you prefer.

    chicken and bourbon sauce ingredients in frying pan

    Next, stir everything together, and bring to a simmer. The sauce will seem thin at first, but it thickens up as it cooks. By the way, the alcohol burns off as the sauce cooks, leaving you with just the delicious flavors of the sauce.

    You can thicken the sauce even more by adding a cornstarch slurry. Just mix up some cornstarch and cold water or chicken broth, bring sauce to a hard boil, and stir the mixture into the sauce.

    After about 10 minutes or so, the sauce will be rich, thick and just perfect! If you find that the sauce is too thick, you can thin it out with extra apple juice or water or broth.

    cubed chicken simmering in bourbon sauce

    Cook Time

    The total cooking time for easy chicken dinner is 15 to 20 minutes. Keep in mind the chicken cooks faster if the chicken pieces are smaller.

    And that, my friends, is it! You're ready to enjoy this delicious restaurant quality Bourbon chicken!

    bourbon chicken over jasmine rice on a white plate with parsley

    What to Serve with Bourbon Chicken

    I usually serve Bourbon Chicken over Instant Pot Jasmine Rice or Instant Pot Brown Rice. Either white rice or brown rice work for this copycat recipe!

    Add some Air Fryer Broccoli, or steamed broccoli. You can steam broccoli in the microwave, and you're good to go. Check out my side dishes archives for more side dishes that pair well with this recipe.

    Variations

    There are a couple ways to customize this easy bourbon chicken recipe to your tastes.

    If you want to make bourbon chicken without alcohol, just use more apple juice instead of bourbon. This will make the chicken slightly sweeter, but no less delicious!

    If you feel that the bourbon chicken sauce is too sweet, add a splash of apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar to cut the sweetness.

    Add a little bit of pineapple juice or lemon juice for a more tangy flavor. Or, add sriracha, red pepper flakes, or your favorite hot sauce for extra heat.

    Feel free to add different elements to your bourbon chicken as well. Green onions, sesame seeds, fresh garlic, and fresh ginger are a few great options.

    Instead of using boneless chicken breasts, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs.

    plate of bourbon chicken and rice on the table

    How to Store

    Store leftover bourbon chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it'll last 3 to 4 days. You can freeze the chicken for longer storage.

    Reheat in the microwave or on the stove.

    Recipe

    bourbon street chicken with rice on a plate

    Easy Bourbon Street Chicken Recipe

    Published by Dee
    This Easy Bourbon Street Chicken Recipe makes flavorful chicken in a sweet sticky sauce. Better than takeout and perfect for busy weeknights when you need a quick dinner!
    5 from 7 votes
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    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Main
    Cuisine American, Asian
    Servings 8
    Calories 225 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 pounds chicken breasts cubed
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1 tablespoon dried minced onions
    • ¼ cup bourbon
    • ¼ cup apple juice
    • ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
    • ¼ cup brown sugar
    • 3 tablespoons ketchup

    Cornstarch slurry

    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
    • 1 tablespoon cold water

    Instructions
     

    • Heat the oil in a large skillet or heavy bottomed pan, add chicken, and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, ginger, and onions
    • Cook chicken until no longer pink, and stir in bourbon, apple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and ketchup
    • Simmer for 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens and chicken is fully cooked (165 degrees) internally. Mix cornstarch slurry in small bowl, and add to sauce to thicken more, if desired

    Notes

     To make bourbon chicken recipe without alcohol, add another ¼ cup of apple juice instead of bourbon, if desired.
    You can mix the sauce in a separate bowl, and pour over chicken after cooking until no longer pink, if desired. 

    Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 225kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 25gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 596mgPotassium: 486mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 63IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate it! Show me your dish on Instagram!Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!

    Our best bourbon chicken recipe is the perfect combination of juicy chicken and tangy, thick sauce. I hope you enjoy this flavorful chicken dish as much as my family does!

    For more tasty dish ideas, family favorite dish inspirations, and great recipe ideas perfect for meal plans, subscribe to the newsletter and follow me on social media!

    Recipe published first in 2021 and updated in 2022.

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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Jim says

      March 12, 2021 at 1:28 pm

      Made this last night and so easy and great tasting. The aroma filled the house for hours. Leftovers for lunch today were incredible as well.5 stars

      Reply
    2. Cathy says

      March 08, 2021 at 8:08 am

      Such a delicious recipe! I'll be making this often!

      Reply
    3. Beth says

      March 03, 2021 at 9:13 pm

      This looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to give this a try! So excited!

      Reply
    4. Toni says

      March 03, 2021 at 1:10 pm

      This became an instant hit for dinner at my house! I love that it comes ready to eat in less than 30 minutes!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        March 04, 2021 at 3:24 pm

        Thank you so much, Toni! Glad you liked it!

    5. betimicevska @ easyweeknightrecipes.com says

      March 03, 2021 at 9:39 am

      This was incredibly delicious! Everyone loved it! Thanks!5 stars

      Reply
    6. katerina @ diethood.com says

      March 03, 2021 at 9:38 am

      I love how easy and delicious this is! The perfect weeknight meal!!5 stars

      Reply
    7. Suzy says

      March 02, 2021 at 4:11 pm

      Did not realize how easy this would be to make! WE loved it! Also love that there is a second way to make this with apple juice!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        March 03, 2021 at 12:24 pm

        Thank you so much, Suzy. It's super easy!

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