Food Court Bourbon Chicken

5 from 1 vote

Food Court Bourbon Chicken

Food court bourbon chicken is an at home copycat of the popular dish. Featuring perfectly cooked chicken thighs in a flavor packed sauce, you'll love making this recipe at home.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Dinner, Entree, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Asian, Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 544kcal

Author: Meaghan @ 4 Sons R Us

Ingredients

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2- 2 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs trimmed of fat & cut into roughly 1" pieces
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup bourbon
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch + 3 tbsp cold water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To a small mixing bowl add the ginger, garlic, pepper, soy sauce, bourbon, water, vinegar, and brown sugar. Whisk together until evenly combined, and set the mixture aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium high heat. Once hot (shimmery), add the chicken- cooking and stirring every so often until juices have cooked off & it begins to brown, about 8-10 minutes.
Pour the sauce mixture into the skillet, gently mixing until everything's evenly combined and coated.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow the chicken to simmer for roughly 15 minutes, uncovered.
Add both the cornstarch and water to a small bowl, whisking together until evenly combined, and then pour into the skillet. Stir until evenly incorporated.
Let the mixture cook just until thickened slightly, then remove from heat. It will continue to thicken as it sits.
Serve over, or with, steamed white rice and enjoy!

Notes

Chicken thighs tend to come with a lot of fat on them. If you use a knife to remove it, you may end up losing a lot of your meat. I recommend using a sharp pair of kitchen sheers instead.
Don't cook with or have alcohol handy? Substitute apple juice. Keep in mind the juice is sweeter so you'll want to use less brown sugar.
If you're sensitive to sugar in general, you can halve the amount of brown sugar called for. It won't be as sweet, but will still be delicious.
Make it a full meal and serve this with steamed broccoli, diced zucchini, green beans, or snow peas. You can serve them on the side or toss them in the sauce with the chicken. Water chestnuts will add a nice crunch.
As soon as the sauce begins to thicken, remove the skillet from heat. This will prevent the sauce from becoming too thick. Even if it appears too thin, the residual heat will continue to thicken it.
You can sub chicken breasts for the chicken thighs, but know that thighs tend to stay more tender and not dry out after cooking or resting.

Nutrition