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Food Court-Style Bourbon Chicken

Sweet, sticky, tender chicken cooked in a glossy bourbon sauce that tastes exactly like mall food court bourbon chicken.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner, Main
Cuisine: American-Chinese, Takeout
Calories: 360

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs diced
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch for coating
  • 1 tbsp oil
Sauce
  • 0.5 cup soy sauce
  • 0.33 cup brown sugar
  • 0.25 cup bourbon or apple juice
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp ginger grated
  • 0.25 tsp crushed red pepper optional
  • 0.33 cup water
Finishing
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch for slurry
  • 2 tbsp water for slurry

Equipment

  • Mixing bowls
  • Baking sheet
  • Wire rack
  • Hand mixer or stand mixer

Method
 

  1. Coat diced chicken thighs in cornstarch.
  2. Sear chicken in oil until golden and cooked through.
  3. Sauté garlic and ginger in same skillet.
  4. Add soy sauce, bourbon, brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, red pepper, and water.
  5. Simmer sauce 3–4 minutes and return chicken to skillet.
  6. Add cornstarch slurry and simmer until thick and glossy.
  7. Serve hot over rice and garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.

Notes

For alcohol-free version, replace bourbon with apple juice.