Tired after a long day? Bourbon Chicken Skillet will save the day! One pot cooking at it's best, all you need is a 12" skillet. This Bourbon Chicken skillet recipe will warm you with it's comforting and familiar flavors.
Serve Bourbon Chicken over white rice and garnished with chopped green scallions. If you start our Perfect Steamed White Rice recipe right before starting the chicken, both will be ready to put on your table in 30 minutes or less.
What Is Bourbon Chicken?
Bourbon Chicken is an amalgam of Chinese and American cuisine. Often found in the food courts of malls, with wafting aromas that entice hungry customers to their food counter. Bourbon Chicken is comforting and familiar.
While called "Bourbon" Chicken, it can be make with any whiskey or scotch. All the alcohol gets cooked off, leaving flavors that blend with the soy, garlic, and ginger.
Alternatively, if ANY alcohol is off limits, a Hoisin sauce would make an excellent substitution.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Any cook loves a quick and easy meal. But, to recreate that flavorful memory of a satisfying food court favorite like Teriyaki Bourbon Chicken is an even bigger bonus.
If you start your rice at the same time as you start the Bourbon Chicken, you will have this meal on the table in 30 minutes or less.
Jump to:
- What Is Bourbon Chicken?
- Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Bourbon Teriyaki Chicken Ingredients
- How to Make Bourbon Style Chicken Teriyaki
- Serving Suggestions
- Related Recipes
- Substitutions and Variations
- Equipment
- Storage and Reheating
- Tips For Success
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love
- 📖 Recipe
- Food Safety
Bourbon Teriyaki Chicken Ingredients
Use a clear shot of the ingredients for this recipe, prepped, and labeled if necessary. Insert the ingredients into the list below, omitting quantities.
- Chicken thighs - Boneless, skinless.
- Salt
- Cornstarch
- Vegetable oil
- Garlic - Minced
- Ginger root - Fresh, grated.
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Chicken stock
- Bourbon
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Vinegar
- Toasted white sesame seeds
- Green scallions for garnish (optional)
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Bourbon Style Chicken Teriyaki
Not an ingredient, but you will want fluffy white rice to serve this on. Try our Perfect Streamed White Rice recipe.
Brown The Chicken
- Lets start by preparing the chicken. Cut into chunks. Toss with the salt and the cornstarch.
- Add to a skillet with heated vegetable oil. Brown the chicken lightly. You are not actually cooking the chicken in this step, just browning the cornstarch tossed chicken so that there is some browning.
Make The Bourbon Chicken Sauce
- Transfer the chicken back to the bowl that you tossed it with cornstarch in. You will use the same empty skillet to now prepare the bourbon chicken sauce.
- Cook the garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes. Add the liquids and the sugar.
- Add the chicken to the sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer to reduce sauce until it thickens.
Putting It All Together
Your final product will be a delicious skillet dish that the bourbon chicken sauce coats the chicken pieces.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet, and cook and additional 5-8 minutes until chicken cooked.
- Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds and mix in. Serve this Bourbon Chicken skillet dinner over white rice and garnish with chopped green scallion or chives.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this super easy Bourbon Chicken Teriyaki recipe with a salad, some fruit, and rice.
It would go perfectly with our Tropical Fruit Salad, Perfect Steamed White Rice, and even Cinnamon Stewed Pears.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Related Recipes
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few delicious variations using this bourbon chicken recipe:
- You can use chicken breasts if you prefer, just be careful to not over cook it so it stays tender.
- The red pepper flakes can be omitted if you don't like your teriyaki style bourbon chicken spicy.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this bourbon chicken recipe.
Storage and Reheating
- Store the wet ingredients (lettuce, tomato, onion) separately from the dry ingredients (buns) in the fridge, and recombine when ready. Good for 2-3 days.
Tips For Success
- Be sure to use skinless, boneless chicken thighs.
- Purchasing boneless thighs will save you a ton of work de-boning.
- Non Alcoholic alternatives to Bourbon would be Hoisin sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Bourbon Chicken is a great freeze ahead dinner meal. Just use the microwave to reheat, or a medium low stovetop setting.
Look for a BBQ sauce that is whiskey or bourbon flavored.
Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love
📖 Recipe
Copycat Mall Bourbon Chicken
Equipment
- Roasted White Sesame Seeds (Iri Goma) 8 Oz by Shirakiku (8 ounce)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 " piece of fresh ginger root grated
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- ⅓ cup bourbon
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 Tablespoons vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
- Chopped green scallions for garnish optional
Instructions
- Cut the chicken thighs into 1" to 1 ½" chunks. Add chicken chunks to a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and toss with the cornstarch.
- Heat a 12" skillet with the vegetable oil. When hot, add the chicken and lightly brown. Don't cook the chicken entirely, just get some browning for 2-5 minutes. Transfer partially cooked chicken back to the bowl.
- Using the same skillet, add garlic, ginger, and chili flakes. Lightly cook on medium for 1 minute.
- Add in the stock, bourbon, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a bubbling simmer to reduce sauce about 6 to 8 minutes.
- After sauce has reduced so that is coats the back of a spoon, add the partially cooked chicken in the bowl. Cook chicken and sauce on medium to medium high about 5 minutes. Don't raise heat too high, as you don't want to scorch the sauce. Don't overcook the chicken, just cook until no longer pink and still tender.
- Reduce heat, check to ensure the chicken is cooked, and sauce thickened. The sauce should coat or glaze the chicken.
- Toss in toasted sesame seeds and mix well.
- Serve over white rice with chopped green scallion for garnish.
Notes
- Be sure to use skinless thighs.
- Purchasing boneless thighs will save you a ton of work deboning.
- Non Alcoholic alternatives to Bourbon would be Hoisin sauce.
Nutrition
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
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