Crispy pieces of chicken in a sweet, soy, garlic, ginger and Bourbon sauce (don’t worry I’ve got a sub for the Bourbon if you don’t want alcohol).
An American food court favourite that we love to make at home. Ready in less than 25 minutes!
We first tried this at a food court in the US and I just knew we HAD to recreate it back home. I couldn’t not have that sweet, savoury, sticky goodness again!
The hint of bourbon flavour adds the perfect amount of comfort and flavour. What a good Friday Night Dinner!
📋 Ingredients
Bourbon – I used Gentleman Jack in this recipe because it’s Chris’s favourite! I know it is technically classed as a Tennessee whiskey but it works just the same. If you don’t fancy the alcohol, you can replace it with an equal amount of apple juice and then add 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce.
Oil – You can use any kind of neutral oil for frying, I like to use avocado oil.
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- First, mix the soy sauces and corn flour in a bowl until combined, then add in the rest of the sauce ingredients.
- Place the chicken in a separate bowl and coat in cornflour and seasoning.
- Heat the oil in a pan on a medium-high heat and cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through.
- Turn down the heat and add garlic and ginger, fry again.
- Pour over the sauce and stir to coat the chicken.
- Take the chicken out of the pan and cut it up into chunks, then put back into the sauce and stir to coat before serving.
The chicken thigh meat really soaks up all that flavour! This is what it looks like if you wanted to serve it without slicing the chicken:
and after slicing:
👩🍳PRO TIP Cut up the chicken filets once they are cooked and coated then stir them back in the sauce to get that food court feel!
🍽️ What to serve it with
Mmm… so tender and flavourful!
🍲 More fantastic Fakeaway recipes
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Bourbon Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 750 g (1.65 lbs) skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets (trimmed)
- 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in USA)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp oil
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 tsp minced ginger
Bourbon Sauce:
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce (use low sodium if preferred)
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce (use low sodium if preferred)
- 1 tbsp cornflour cornstarch in USA
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) chicken stock (use low sodium if preferred)
- 4 tbsp bourbon whisky replace with 4 tbsp apple juice + 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce if preferred
- 5 tbsp light brown sugar
To Serve:
- boiled rice or egg fried rice
- spring onions scallions thinly sliced
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- First, make the bourbon sauce. Add the light and dark soy sauce to a small bowl or jug. Stir in the cornflour until dissolved.3 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp cornflour, 180 ml (3/4 cup) chicken stock, 4 tbsp bourbon whisky, 5 tbsp light brown sugar
- Add the chicken stock, bourbon and sugar and stir together. Put to one side.
- Place the chicken in a bowl and sprinkle on the cornflour, salt and pepper. Toss together to thoroughly coat.750 g (1.65 lbs) skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets, 2 tbsp cornflour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium-high heat.3 tbsp oil
- Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 8-12 minutes, turning a few times during cooking, until golden brown and cooked through.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic and ginger.3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp minced ginger
- Fry for a further 30 seconds, moving everything round in the pan, using a spoon or spatula, constantly.
- Pour in the sauce and turn the heat back up to medium-high. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the chicken is coated, and the sauce thickens.
- Turn off the heat, remove the chicken from the pan, roughly slice and place back in the sauce, stir to coat (slicing is optional – but I like it for that 'food hall style').
- Serve over rice, topped with spring onions and sesame seeds.boiled rice or egg fried rice, spring onions, sesame seeds
Video
Notes
Can I make it ahead?
This dish taste best cooked and served immediately, but you can make it ahead too if you prefer.Make the whole dish, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day.
Reheat in a pan over a medium heat, stirring often, until piping hot throughout – about 7-10 minutes. Place a lid on the pan to keep the heat in during reheating. It’s a good idea to add a good splash (1/4 cup or so) of hot chicken stock to help loosen up the sauce again. The chicken also tastes great cold for lunch the next day as part of a salad or wrap.
Ingredient swaps
- You can swap out the bourbon for 4 tbsp of apple juice + 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce if preferred.
- Chicken thighs are better at standing up to high heat cooking – like that on a griddle or BBQ – whilst staying juicy. However, you can replace them with chicken breast pieces if you prefer. Try to ensure you don’t overcook – as the chicken may become dry. But do ensure it’s cooked throughout and no longer pink in the middle.
How to scale up and scale down this recipe
This recipe can be doubled up for a crowd or halved for two people, sticking to the same ingredient ratios.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Thank you for adding a non-alcoholic alternative!
One of my family members is severely allergic to alcohol (yes, it exists) so I’m not taking any chances.
The apple juice / Worcestershire sauce version will appear on our plates shortly.
Never mind…it is my mistake, it actually only says 2 in the ingredient list. I apologize. Can’t wait to make this!
I want to make this recipe but I am confused. Under make the sauce it lists all of the sauce ingredients, but only mentions 2 of the 3 Tablespoons of the dark soy sauce. Everything else matches with the sauce ingredients. I looked through the rest of the recipe looking for where the other tablespoon of dark soy sauce goes, but it’s not mentioned anywhere. Is that 2 Tablespoons of dark soy sauce under the make the bourbon sauce simply a typo and supposed to say 3?
Thank you
Can’t wait to try this, but what can I use instead of sugar? Can I use stevia sweetners? We do t use sugar due to diabetes type 2 in our household. This answer would help to a lot of your delicious sounding recipes. I’ve tried many over the years and have been a fan for a good few years too.
Hi love the idea of your Bourbon Chicken, but can you confirm, when you say dark soy, are you referring to Asian (Chinese) dark soy or Kecap Manis also known as sweet soy? My query comes because in your video the dark soy you put into the pan looks thick which to me would indicate Kecap Manis. I am in Australia and so sometimes we have different names.
Thanks Trish
Hi Trish, yes, I use Asian dark soy sauce (Amoy or similar). Hope you enjoy 🙂