Bourbon Chicken (No Bourbon)

35 min · 4 servings · easy · American-Chinese

Ingredients

Chicken

• 2 lb (900 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp neutral oil

Sauce

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in about 2 tbsp (30 ml) water

Garnish

• green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

Method

1. Season
2. Season the 2 lb (900 g) chicken thighs on all sides with 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp paprika and black pepper, making sure every part is coated.
3. Sear
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken about 3-4 minutes per side until well colored; it does not need to be cooked through. Remove and let rest.
5. Make the sauce
6. Whisk together 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1 tbsp hoisin, 1 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup apple juice, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 3 cloves garlic and 1-inch piece ginger until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is uniform.
7. Reduce
8. Pour the sauce into the hot skillet, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer over medium heat until reduced by about half, 8-10 minutes.
9. Cut
10. While the sauce reduces, cut the rested chicken into bite-sized pieces.
11. Thicken and finish
12. Stir in the 1 tbsp cornstarch slurry and simmer until the sauce turns glossy and thick, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and its juices and simmer, tossing, until coated and cooked through to 165°F (74°C), 3-5 minutes. Garnish with green onions and serve over rice.

Tips

• Apple juice replaces the bourbon; if you want real bourbon, swap in about 2-3 tbsp for part of the apple juice and let it simmer off the alcohol.
• Use regular (light) soy sauce; dark soy will make it much darker and saltier.
• Cola can be used in place of apple juice for a similar sweet flavor, per a viewer suggestion.
• Green onion garnish and 2 tbsp of water for the slurry are assumptions based on the video and standard practice.
• Leftovers keep well refrigerated for 3-4 days, making this good for meal prep.