Bourbon Chicken

Bourbon Chicken is a popular American styled Chinese food dish, with bite sized chicken pieces. Lightly seared, and then simmered in an absolutely delicious mouth watering sweet, sticky soy based sauce; with a touch of ginger and garlic. Some add bourbon which is where the name comes from ( The alcohol cooks out, leaving a rich, savory and tangy flavor.) On my bourbon chicken recipe, I choose to leave out the Bourbon and it tastes absolutely delicious just like this. Still has that authentic flavor and doesn't loose anything. 

 This is well know in the American mall food courts. Almost every food court that has chinese food, is going to have Bourbon chicken. It's usually served over white rice and broccoli. 

Cheap, Quick and easy, this recipe will get you, in and out of the kitchen in no time, and is very inexpensive to make. Costing you about $15 for about 4 servings. It will definitely have you longing for more... 

Make sure you make enough so that you have enough for seconds. It's just that good! I can't get enough of it, it's my go to fun meal when I want to have that authentic food court chinese food.

Ingredients

2lb Chicken thigh

1 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp garlic paste, crushed fresh garlic or garlic powder (either one will work)

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup hoisin sauce ( Check below for recipe if you don't have hoison)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 tsp ground ginger 

Seasonings: onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, all purpose seasoning

Directions

Thoroughly clean your chicken thighs and remove the skin. To know more about how to properly clean your chicken, check out my past post teaching how it's done.HOW TO CLEAN CHICKEN. Once that is done, you can season your chicken thighs with all purpose seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder and a little black pepper.

Pan fry on medium high heat in a little bit of olive oil. Pan fry on both sides just until it is golden and almost fully cooked. (Do not cook for long as it will continue to cook in the sauce later on. Once this is done, and both sides are nice and golden brown. You can remove it from your pan or griddle and place it aside for about 10 minutes to rest. Giving your chicken time to rest after lightly pan frying, helps to keep all of its juices inside the chicken, in order for it to remain juicy and tender instead of dry. So don't skip this step. Just give that chicken a minute to get itself together and then you're good to go : - ) You want a nice piece of juicy chicken that is not tough and dry. 

Now that you've done that, you can now feel free to cut your chicken thighs, into nice bite sized strips. Set it  aside.

In your frying pan, (You can use the same frying pan you just used for the chicken pieces. Add your butter, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar and ground ginger. cook on low/ medium heat, continuing to stir every few seconds. Until it starts to simmer. You will notice the sauce lightly thickening. This should take only about 1 - 2 minutes. You can now add in your chicken pieces to the sauce. Allow to cook for about 5 more minutes in the sauce. Stirring frequently in order for sauce not to burn. (Do not leave sauce unattended because it will burn quickly, if not continuously stirred) 

You're all set, Your quick and delicious meal is ready. Goes great with white rice and broccoli or another green vegetable of your choosing. Enjoy!

Looking for a white rice recipe that doesn't disappoint? Check out this link for my past post on HOW TO MAKE WHITE RICE

Note: If you don't have Hoison sauce lying around at home. (Most people don't! Don't stress. Its quick and easy to make) Just mix these ingredients  in a small sauce pan, until it melts together and twalla. Hoison sauce...

Hoison sauce ingredients

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp molasses (optional)

1 tsp olive oil

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp hot sauce

1 tbsp water

1 tsp corn starch

1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions

In a small bowl add the water and cornstarch together and mix, until it becomes like a slurry. Set aside. In pot add all of your other ingredients and then add this cornstarch and water slurry mixture, to the pot along with all of the other ingredients and mix it all well. Cook on low/ medium heat until it starts to simmer and thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 - 10 minutes and there you go. You have Hoison sauce. 

This sauce can be used in our Bourbon Chicken recipe above. And if you have any sauce left over, you can place it into a jar and pop into your fridge; to be used as a sauce on your next recipe or to go alongside your favorite dishes. If you like sauces. This sauce goes great to eat on chicken, goes great for a sweet and tangy salad dressing, and can be used in multiple recipes. Definitely a great addition to your fridge.

Enjoy!

From my kitchen to yours 

God Bless