Description
Home cooks love this Louisiana-style bourbon chicken with a sweet-tangy glaze that balances savory and sugary notes. Simmered chicken pieces coat perfectly in a rich sauce, delivering classic Southern comfort on your dinner plate.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 lbs (1.36 kg) chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup (240 mL) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar, dark or light
- ⅔ cup (160 mL) low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup (60 mL) bourbon
- ⅓ cup (80 mL) apple juice
- ⅓ cup (80 mL) ketchup
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsps (30 mL) apple cider vinegar
- 4 tbsps (32 g) cornstarch
- 2 tbsps (30 mL) vegetable oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Seasoning Preparation: In a medium bowl, blend cornstarch, salt, and pepper, then meticulously coat chicken pieces, ensuring comprehensive coverage.
- Chicken Searing: Ignite a large skillet at medium-high heat, strategically brown chicken in rotating batches until golden and nearly cooked, roughly 3 minutes per side, then transfer to a holding plate.
- Aromatic Foundation: Within the identical skillet, rapidly sauté minced garlic until its fragrant essence permeates the cooking surface.
- Sauce Composition: Cascade chicken broth, soy sauce, apple juice, ketchup, bourbon, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, ground ginger, onion powder, and crushed red pepper flakes into the skillet, escalating to a robust boil before moderating to a gentle simmer.
- Sauce Integration: Reintroduce seared chicken into the simmering liquid, thoroughly coating each piece, and allow the mixture to reduce by half while ensuring complete chicken doneness, approximately 10 minutes.
- Sauce Refinement: Craft a cornstarch-water slurry, seamlessly integrate into the sauce, and continue simmering for an additional 2 minutes to achieve optimal viscosity.
- Plating Finale: Elegantly present bourbon-glazed chicken atop steamed rice, allowing grains to absorb the luxurious sauce, and optionally garnish with chopped green onions for a vibrant finish.
Notes
- Perfectly Coat Chicken: Ensure every chicken piece is evenly and thoroughly coated with the seasoning mixture for maximum flavor absorption and consistent taste.
- Brown in Batches: Cook chicken pieces in separate batches to maintain high skillet temperature, creating a golden exterior and locking in juicy interior.
- Create Sauce Depth: Combine multiple liquid ingredients like bourbon, soy sauce, and apple juice to build complex, layered flavor profiles that elevate the dish.
- Thicken Strategically: Use cornstarch slurry technique to control sauce consistency, preventing watery results and creating a glossy, clinging sauce that beautifully coats chicken.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 370
- Sugar: 23 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg