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Stuck on what to make for dinner tonight? This Bourbon chicken recipe might just be your answer. It’s a bold mix of sweet and savory flavors—think crispy, pan-seared chicken coated in a tangy bourbon glaze that rivals your favorite takeout.
Best of all? It only takes 15 minutes to prep. Picture it served over fluffy rice or alongside stir-fried veggies. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you. You got this! Now, let’s get down to it.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Perfectly balanced sweet and savory flavors. The combination of brown sugar, soy sauce, and bourbon creates a rich glaze that coats the chicken perfectly. It is a terrific balance.
- Easy to make. This recipe does have a lot of ingredients, but don’t let that fool you. This is a one-pan meal that comes together in under 45 minutes.
- Restaurant quality without buying takeout. This recipe really does taste like you just had it delivered. The secret is coating the chicken in cornstarch before searing it.
- It pairs well with a variety of sides. You can serve this over steamed rice or any vegetables you have on hand. This is a perfect use case for that bag of frozen vegetables that you never know when to use.
How to Make Bourbon Chicken
Shopping List
Protein
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Pantry Staples
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Soy sauce (low-sodium optional)
- Brown sugar
- Apple juice
- Chicken broth (low-sodium optional)
- Ketchup
- White vinegar
- Bourbon
- Ground ginger
- Onion powder
- Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Produce
- Garlic
Cooking Essentials
- Neutral cooking oil (vegetable, corn, or canola)
Tips and Tricks
- This quick weeknight bourbon chicken is easy to make but it does have a lot of ingredients. My tip to you is to gather all the ingredients in advance.
- I also recommend that you measure out the ingredients in advance so that the cooking process goes smoothly.
- For easier prep, combine the sauce ingredients in a single bowl before starting—this makes adding them to the pan seamless.
- This recipe leans on sugar for its signature rich, glossy glaze. I’ve tried cutting the sugar in half before, but it noticeably affected the flavor—we didn’t love the result.
- When searing the chicken, be sure not to overcrowd the pan. If you do, the chicken will steam instead of become crispy. You will need to work in rounds to cook all of the chicken.
Step-By-Step
Step 1: Prep the chicken. Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to trim excess fat.
Cut the chicken into 1-inch bite-sized pieces.
Step 2: Combine the cornstarch and salt and pepper in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir the mixture to distribute the seasoning evenly.
Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and toss to coat. Make sure each piece is coated.
💡This helps create a crispy, golden crust when seared.
Step 3: Sear the chicken. Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully add the chicken pieces in a single layer.
💡Avoid overcrowding the pan, which can cause steaming instead of searing.
Step 4: Cook and flip the chicken. Let the chicken cook undisturbed for 3 minutes to develop a golden-brown crust. Then, use tongs or a spatula to flip each piece.
Step 5: Cook for another 3 minutes on the other side until the chicken is golden and crisp.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Step 6: Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and repeat the process with the rest of the chicken. When all of the chicken is out of the pan, pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the oil — building the sauce in a quarter cup of oil makes the finished glaze greasy.
Step 7: Sautee the garlic. Lower the heat to medium and add the minced garlic to the same skillet that you were cooking the chicken in.
Saute for 20 to 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
💡Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Step 8: Make the bourbon sauce. When the garlic is ready, add the water, soy sauce, apple juice, chicken broth, ketchup, bourbon, vinegar, brown sugar, ground ginger, onion powder, and red pepper flakes to the skillet.
Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
Step 9: Reduce the sauce — without the chicken. Leave the seared chicken on its plate for now and bring the sauce down to a steady simmer. Those 1-inch pieces of breast are already cooked through from the sear, so returning them here would leave them dry and stringy by the time the sauce is ready.
Step 10: Let the sauce simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan, until it has reduced by about a third and coats the back of a spoon.
💡This sauce is sugar-heavy and will scorch once it tightens. Keep the simmer gentle and stir the bottom of the pan through the last few minutes.
Step 11: Thicken and glaze. Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1-2 tablespoons of water, then stir the slurry into the sauce. Simmer about 1 minute, until it turns glossy.
Step 12: Return the chicken. Add the chicken and any juices from the plate back to the skillet and toss for 2-3 minutes, just until every piece is coated and heated through. Serve hot over steamed rice.
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Bourbon Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup neutral cooking oil vegetable, corn, or canola
- 2 cloves garlic minced (or 1 teaspoon pre-minced garlic)
- 1 cup water
- ⅔ cup soy sauce low-sodium optional
- ½ cup apple juice
- ½ cup chicken broth low-sodium optional
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- ¼-⅓ cup bourbon use ¼ cup for a mild flavor or ⅓ cup for a bolder bourbon taste
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Trim any fat from the chicken breasts and cut them into 1-inch pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together 4 tablespoons of the cornstarch with the salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss to coat evenly.
- In a large skillet or pot, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add half of the chicken pieces in a single layer and cook without stirring for 3 minutes. Flip each piece and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Do not crowd the pan — if the pieces are touching, they steam instead of sear.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and set aside. Repeat with the remaining oil and chicken. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the oil before you build the sauce, or the finished glaze will be greasy.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the minced garlic to the skillet and sauté for 20-30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the water, soy sauce, apple juice, chicken broth, ketchup, bourbon, vinegar, brown sugar, ground ginger, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Leave the chicken out of the pan for this part. Reduce the heat to a steady simmer and cook the sauce uncovered for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom, until it has reduced by about a third and coats the back of a spoon.
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1-2 tablespoons of water to create a slurry. Stir it into the sauce and simmer for about 1 minute, until glossy.
- Return the chicken and any juices from the plate to the skillet. Toss for 2-3 minutes, just until every piece is coated and heated through.
- Serve hot over steamed rice.
Notes
- The chicken is done after the sear. One-inch pieces of breast come up to temperature in those 6 minutes, so it goes back into the pan at the end only to glaze — that is what keeps it juicy instead of stringy.
- The sauce is sugar-heavy and will scorch once it tightens. Keep the simmer gentle and scrape the bottom of the pan through the last few minutes.
- Three pounds of chicken is a lot for one skillet. If half a batch still crowds your pan, sear it in three rounds instead of two.
- Use a splatter screen to minimize oil splatter while cooking the chicken.
- For an extra kick, add additional red pepper flakes or a drizzle of Sriracha.
- To make this lower in sodium, opt for low-sodium soy sauce and chicken broth.
Holy moly, just the image is making my mouth water!
I will make this again it was amazing.
Cooking the chicken that long, does it cause it to become dry and hard
That is a bit long, and the chicken was already thoroughly cooked, so I’m changing the recipe so the chicken doesn’t go in the pan while the sauce simmers. It will get added at the end. Thank you for pointing this out, Susan.