Bourbon Chicken

Legend has it that Bourbon Chicken was so named because a Chinese cook made it in a restaurant on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Whether this is true or not, Bourbon Chicken is amazing and quite fitting for a Mardi Gras celebration! I don’t know whether the original recipe contained Bourbon or not. However, I didn’t think that I could go wrong by including it. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Ingredients for Bourbon Chicken:

I used the following ingredients: Chicken breasts, baking soda, water, corn starch, Bourbon, rice vinegar, low sodium soy sauce, light brown sugar, fresh ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and peanut oil.

Making the Bourbon Chicken:

To start the prep, I cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces. To ensure that the chicken was tender, I mixed it with a teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in 1/2 cup of cold water and let it sit for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, I drained the chicken, rinsed it under cold water, drained it again, and patted it dry with paper towels.  Then, I added the chicken to a mixture of 1 Tablespoon of Bourbon and 2 teaspoons of corn starch. Next, I mixed the sauce by combining the remaining Bourbon, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and remaining corn starch.

With the prep finished, I heated the peanut oil in a Wok over medium high heat. When the oil was hot, I added the chicken, and cooked it, stirring frequently, until it was no longer pink. This took about 5 minutes. Then, I added the ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and continued cooking the mixture for about 30 seconds.

Finally, I added the Bourbon sauce to the chicken, and cooked the mixture until the sauce thickened, and the chicken was fully cooked. This took around 5 minutes.

I served the Bourbon Chicken with white rice. Its flavor was incredible. Laissez les bons temps rouler! Yum!

5 from 8 votes

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Bourbon Chicken

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Idle Time

15 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

Legend has it that Bourbon Chicken was so named because a Chinese cook made it in a restaurant on Bourbon Street. Whether this is true or not, Bourbon Chicken is incredible and quite fitting for a Mardi Gras celebration! I don't know whether the original recipe contained Bourbon or not. However, I didn't think that I could go wrong by including it. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese, Mardi Gras, New Orleans

Servings: 4

Calories: 267 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless and boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon corn starch divided
• 1/4 cup Bourbon divided
• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed (1.875 ounces)
• 1/2 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 Tablespoon peanut oil
• White rice

Instructions

1. Mix chicken with baking soda and water. Let sit 15 minutes. Rinse well under cold water; drain well. Pat dry with paper towels.

2. Combine 1 tablespoon Bourbon with 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Add to chicken; mix well.

3. Combine remaining 3 tablespoons Bourbon, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and remaining 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Set aside.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in Wok or skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken. Cook, stirring frequently until chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

5. Add ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes; cook 30 seconds or until fragrant.

6. Add Bourbon sauce. Cook, stirring frequently until thickened and chicken is done, about 5 minutes.

7. Serve over white rice.

Nutrition Facts

Bourbon Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 267 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 6g 9%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Cholesterol 72mg 24%

Sodium 806mg 34%

Potassium 466mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates 17g 6%

Sugars 13g

Protein 25g 50%

Vitamin A 0.7%

Vitamin C 2.2%

Calcium 2.3%

Iron 4.7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.