Bourbon Chicken

You know that awesome feeling you get when you replicate a restaurant or take-out meal in your own kitchen?  The part of you that sings when someone tastes it and says, "This tastes exactly like the stuff you get at so-and-so?"  Yeah, get ready because that's exactly how you'll feel when you make this.  Ever get the bourbon chicken at the Chinese/Asian stand at the mall food court?  Or just sample it from the guy standing there with a tray of toothpicks with a chunk of saucy chicken on the end?  This is that chicken.  And it's amazing.  It's got a blend of a little sweet, a very mild spice and and overall sense of yum.  The chicken is juicy and flavorful, and the sauce has a great consistency of not too thin or too thick, so it goes great with the chicken over rice.

Did you notice that it's the second Tuesday of the month so it's Secret Recipe Club time again?  Cause it is!  By now, you probably know what that means.  Each Monday a group of bloggers post a recipe they've made from another blogger's repertoire.  Nobody knows who's featuring their blog until that day and it's a fun chance to visit new blogs and try something different. Visit some of the other bloggers in my group by checking out the blog hop at the bottom of this post.  To learn more about Secret Recipe Club, click here.

We're taking a month off in December due to the hectic holidays, so I was super excited to find a great recipe to end the Secret Recipe Club year (it was a year ago this month that I posted my first SRC recipe).  I sure lucked out when I was assigned to Rebekah's blog Family, Food and Fun.  Rebekah has five (!) beautiful children and makes them wonderful, wholesome food, and some pretty amazing decorated cakes, including three for birthday celebrations in October.  I desperately wanted to make a savory or dinner dish for Secret Recipe Club this month, but as soon as I clicked over to Rebekah's blog, I saw one of her most popular posts is her Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pops and I almost stopped right there.  But I soldiered on, getting more and more hungry as I went through Chicken Enchilada Pasta, Crock Pot Fiesta Chicken,  and her Sausage Egg Casserole, all of which I'm sure will be gracing my table soon.  But I finally settled on Bourbon Chicken, because, well hello! Bourbon!  And then I read the recipe that didn't have any bourbon in it.  Sigh.  I needed to fix that.  While I sure it's delicious with apple juice, I subbed it for 1/4 cup of bourbon and I love the flavor and everything else about it.  The alcohol will cook out (and for the amount this makes, it's a small amount of bourbon), but don't let me peer pressure you (unless you want me too, because I totally can do that).  Try my alcohol-influenced version below or visit Rebekah for the G-rated version and to take a gander at her other yummy dishes.

Bourbon Chicken

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
4 Tablespoons oil
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup bourbon
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger


Cut chicken into small pieces and lightly dust with cornstarch.  (Note: You may use less than 1/4 cup of cornstarch. I started with 2 Tablespoons and then as I was cooking, dusted some pieces again before cooking them.)

Heat oil in a large skillet and fry chicken in batches until lightly browned.  Remove chicken to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

While chicken cooks, in a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients.

Once all chicken is cooked and set aside, pour sauce into skillet and bring to a boil.

Return chicken to skillet and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Makes about 6 servings.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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