Description
This Food Court Bourbon Chicken Copycat Recipe recreates the flavorful, sweet, and savory bourbon chicken dish commonly found at food courts. Made with tender chicken thighs simmered in a rich bourbon-soy sauce glaze, it’s perfect served over rice for a delicious and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 2 LB chicken thighs, skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper (about 4 turns on the pepper mill)
Sauce
- 1/3 Cup soy sauce
- 1/3 Cup Bourbon (or brown whiskey; dark rum or apple/cranberry juice as substitutes)
- 1/2 Cup water
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar/plain white vinegar)
- 1/2 Cup brown sugar, tightly packed
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Cut the skinless chicken thighs into 1-inch pieces and remove any excess fat or skin to ensure tender, lean bites of chicken.
- Mix the Sauce: In a small bowl, combine ground ginger, garlic powder, black pepper, soy sauce, bourbon (or substitute), water, rice vinegar, and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves and set aside.
- Brown the Chicken: Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring every 1-2 minutes, until the chicken releases its juices and starts to brown evenly without burning.
- Simmer in Sauce: Pour the bourbon sauce mixture over the browned chicken. Stir well, bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for approximately 15 minutes to reduce the sauce and cook off alcohol flavors.
- Thicken the Sauce: Stir in the cornstarch slurry briskly. The sauce will thicken quickly, coating the chicken with a glossy, flavorful glaze.
- Serve: Remove from heat and serve the bourbon chicken hot over a bed of steamed rice for the classic food court experience.
Notes
- If you prefer not to use alcohol, apple juice or cranberry juice can substitute the bourbon; reduce the amount of brown sugar slightly when using juice.
- You can swap rice vinegar for white wine vinegar or plain white vinegar if needed.
- Keep stirring during browning to prevent chicken from sticking or burning and to ensure even cooking.
- Simmering uncovered is important to allow alcohol to cook off and sauce to reduce properly.
- This recipe serves 8 bowls and pairs perfectly with steamed rice and steamed vegetables.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American-Chinese
Keywords: bourbon chicken, food court chicken, copycat recipe, chicken thighs, bourbon sauce, sweet and savory chicken
