Bourbon Chicken

(Jean’s Post)

Another weakness of mine is Chinese food.  I like authentic Chinese food but sadly I crave the Americanized version, especially LeeAnn Chin’s Chinese food.  It is a chain Chinese fast food restaurant here in Minnesota.  The food is good but a bit pricey for my current situation.  I moved back to Minnesota from Michigan this past fall to finally be with my husband and funds are a bit tight.  This was my motivation to be able to recreate some of the easier dishes in my own kitchen.  One of my favorites is their bourbon chicken.  It took me a bit to find a good recipe but here it is.  This is my modified version of Lila Voo’s Bourbon Chicken recipe found at Bellaonline.

I personally enjoy this dish using chicken breast as the recipe below shows but the favorite in my family is when I use chicken thighs.  This part of the chicken is more moist, creating a richer flavor but it is a bit fattier.  I also grill the chicken meat rather than stir frying.  It provides a bit of a smoky flavor that I can’t get enough of.

As for the bourbon, I prefer the brand Wild Turkey, but my husband grabbed whatever they had in the grocery store.  It’s a cheaper brand, but it didn’t make a difference in taste.One last reminder, the chicken needs to marinate overnight so plan accordingly.

What you need…chicken

1/3 cup soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar (I actually substitute ¼ of the brown sugar with splenda)
¼ cup of bourbon
1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
3 cloves minced garlic
½ cup sliced green onions
2 pounds chicken breast

Helpful hints.  I use a peeler to peel the skin off of my ginger before mincing.

How to…chicken

1. Day before you want to make this dish, in small bowl, whisk together all ingredients except for the chicken.
2. Place the chicken in a gallon size ziplock bag and pour the marinade into the bag.  Try to remove most of the air out of the bag and seal it.  Let the chicken marinate overnight in the refrigerator
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and put on the grill.  Grill the chicken till it is cooked thoroughly.
4. Remove the chicken from the grill and cut it into chunks.
5. Place chicken pieces in a bowl and pour sauce over it to coat.  Serve.

What you need…sauce

1/3 cup soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar (I actually substitute ¼ of the brown sugar with splenda)
¼ cup of bourbon
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced

You can use the marinade as the sauce, but I prefer to discard it.  I make a fresh batch of sauce because the remnants of chicken in the marinade give it a cloudy appearance that is unappetizing to me.  Just an fyi, this is a thin sauce.

How to…sauce

1. As the marinated chicken is on the grill, in a small saucepan, whisk all ingredients together on medium-hot.
2. Whisk the sauce occasionally and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 6 minutes.
4. Pour over grilled chicken to coat and serve.

I enjoy this with plain white rice but fried rice is just as tasty.  I tend to use a slotted spoon to serve my chicken but my husband likes the extra sauce on his white rice so he does not.  Enjoy!