We live about 30 minutes from an outlet mall, so we go there more often than we should. Becca absolutely loves the bourbon chicken at the Chinese restaurant in the food court, and I have made special trips to the mall just to get the chicken!
Most of the recipes out there are either attempts to copy the New Orleans original (this is really nothing like that) or some sort of barbecue type sauce.
After much tinkering, trial and error I finally came up with a recipe that is nearly identical (close enough) to what is served at our food court. We love it, I hope you do too.
If your house is like ours, there are probably some General Tso’s fans sitting next to the Bourbon Chicken fans. You can find my General Tso’s copycat recipe here. You might also want to try some of my delicious and easy homemade egg rolls.
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The full recipe card is at the bottom of this post, but I’ll walk you through the process with pictures. If you just want the recipe, scroll down.
- Cut the chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces, and remove any excess fat or skin.
- In a small bowl combine the ginger, pepper, soy sauce, whisky (or apple juice), water, garlic, vinegar and brown sugar. Set aside.
- In a large saute pan or skillet heat the oil on medium high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook until the juices have cooked off and the chicken starts to brown, about 8-10 minutes. Stir the chicken every 1-2 minutes so it doesn’t burn and browns evenly.
- Add the bourbon mixture and stir well. Allow the liquid to come to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. Don’t rush this as you want the alcohol to cook off from the whiskey.
- Add in the cornstarch/water liquid and stir briskly. The sauce will thicken quickly. (If the sauce doesn’t thicken up for you disolve another Tbsp of cornstarch in 2 Tbsp of water and stir that in)
- Serve over rice.
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Food Court Bourbon Chicken Copycat Recipe
Save to BigOven A copycat recipe for the bourbon chicken served at many food court Chinese restaurants. This may not be authentic Chinese food, but it is delicious.
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 LB chicken thighs, skinless.
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper (I used 4 turns on the pepper mill)
- 1/3 Cup soy sauce
- 1/3 Cup Bourbon (or whatever brown whiskey you have sitting around. Dark rum would probably work too). If you don’t keep alcohol in your house you can substitute apple juice or cranberry juice. If you use juice, use a little less brown sugar. It really is delicious with just apple juice and no Bourbon.
- 1/2 Cup water
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (white wine vinegar or plain white vinegar would do if you don’t have rice vinegar)
- 1/2 Cup brown sugar, tightly packed
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tbsp cold water
- Cut the chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces, and remove any excess fat or skin.
- In a small bowl combine the ginger, pepper, soy sauce, whisky, water, garlic, vinegar and brown sugar. Set aside.
- In a large saute pan or skillet heat the oil on medium high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook until the juices have cooked off and the chicken starts to brown, about 8-10 minutes. Stir the chicken every 1-2 minutes so it doesn’t burn and browns evenly.
- Add the bourbon mixture and stir well. Allow the liquid to come to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. Don’t rush this as you want the alcohol to cook off from the whiskey.
- Add in the cornstarch liquid and stir briskly. The sauce will thicken quickly.
- Serve over rice.
If you don’t have or don’t want to use whiskey in this recipe simply substitute apple juice. The taste is nearly identical. You may use chicken breast in place of chicken thighs, but the food court in my area definitely uses thighs.
What’s the ratiiof cornstarch to water do you recommend?
Hi Annette. For this recipe you just need enough water to dissolve 1 Tbsp of cornstarch, so about 3 Tbsp is enough. This will thicken the soy sauce/bourbon liquid already in the pan with the chicken. If you want the sauce a little thinner, cut that back to about 1/2 Tbsp of cornstarch to 3 Tbsp of water. You want to dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water first then add it to the hot liquid in the pan.
I have made this twice, following the recipe both times but when I add the cornstarch it never thickens like your recipe says.
Hmmm, that is unusual. A couple of recommendations: first, make sure the pan is at a full simmer when you add the cornstarch dissolved in water and keep it simmering. The heat is what triggers the reaction and starts the thickening. If that is not the issue, you can try using an extra Tbsp of cornstarch.
Dark brown or light brown sugar?
Either would work, I use light brown but dark brown wouldn’t hurt the recipe at all.
Either will work just fine
Making this right now!
Awesome! Let me know how it turns out for you.
We made this last night for dinner and today for lunch. The recipe is a hit! Although, we didn’t see where to add the black pepper in.
Glad it has been a hit at your house. I’ll have to double check my directions to make sure it is clear. For the record, I add it when adding the liquid after the chicken is cooked. Thanks for the comment and for stopping by my humble blog.
I made this exactly the way your recipe said and it turned out great! Everyone loved it. Am making it again tonight for company. Definitely a hit and will be a go to meal. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Laura! Glad it was a hit with the family. I really try to make my recipes as easy to follow and as fool proof as possible.
Hello! In Step 2 you say to add in vinegar along with the soy sauce, whiskey, water, etc., however, you don’t say what type of vinegar (rice vinegar perhaps?) or what quantity. Can you clarify please?
Hi Sally, thanks for stopping by the blog. I used 1 Tbsp of rice vinegar, but you could also use plain white vinegar. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Help!! I don’t have any cornstarch and am snowed in!! Can I use flour and water to thicken or something else?
Oh no! Flour is not ideal, but I think you can manage. After the chicken has simmered and the sauce has reduced a bit I would remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside. Slowly add flour a tablespoon at a time ( maybe 2 Tbsp) whisking constantly so you don’t get lumps, then add the chicken back in. Good luck, hope you get plowed out soon.
Just made this tonight….best recipe I’ve used from Pintrest. Will be making it again. Next week your General Tsos recipe!
Thanks Andy, appreciate you stopping by the blog and glad you liked the recipe. I really like the General Tso’s too. I add extra pepper to make it smoking hot.
Can this be made in a crock pot?
Hi Diane, thanks for stopping by the blog. That is a great question, and I have not actually tried making it in a crock pot. That being said, I think it would work with some minor adjustments. I would put the chicken pieces and sauce ingredients (except the corn starch) in the crock pot and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Add the 2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp water and stir until thickened right before serving. Let me know how it works out!
OMG! I am mad that bourbon chicken is this simple to make, and I am just now finding out about it! Made it for dinner tonight and we loved it…super easy and tasty – just like the little yummy toothpick samples at the food court!
So glad you enjoyed it, sorry you didn’t find this recipe soooner! It really is easy and delicious.
Made this delectable dish last night and used white Don Q rum in lieu of the Bourbon as that’s all I had on hand. Turned out delicious served with Basmati rice! Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Karen, glad you liked the recipe. Impressive improvisation with the rum. Many great recipe variations have been born from missing ingredients.
I’m so happy I found this recipe!! I’m making it as we speak and it smells just like food court bourbon chicken!!
My only question: I didn’t use bourbon, just juice so do I need to simmer for the full 15 minutes? I don’t want my chicken to get rubbery…
Great question – no, the 15 minutes into cook off the alcohol. Of using only juice just simmer long enough for the source to thicken with corn starch. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
This has become a family favorite! Thank you!
So glad your family enjoys the recipe. Thanks for letting me know!
If using apple juice instead of bourbon what should the brown sugar be reduced to?
Hi Dee, thanks for stopping by the blog. I like it sweet so I use a half cup, I just don’t pack it down if I am using apple juice. You could go as low as 1/4 cup brown sugar if you are trying to keep the calories down.
Thank you for the quick reply. I’m looking forward to making this.
It is a favorite at our house, I make it several times a month. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do
Could you use Apple cider vinegar to replace the bourbon and vinegar?
Hi Hannah, thanks for stopping by the blog. You could certainly replace the vinegar with apple cider vinegar. Replacing all of the whiskey/apple juice with vinegar is probably not a great option. It would probably taste more like pickled chicken than bourbon chicken. You can certainly experiment with other fruit juices like cranberry if you want to avoid whiskey and apple juice.
This was amazing! The chicken thighs were so delicious, the sauce was amazing. I was not paying attention and added 3 tbsp cornstarch to 3 tbsp water. Lol, I had to add more water to the sauce. Can’t wait to make this again correctly!
Thanks Christina! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This is so so good ! I doubled the recipe and oh was it good ! Yellow seasoned rice and corn ….. AMAZING!!!!
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the comment!
Loved this recipe! I made it tonight and it was a hit. No left overs here. Thank you!
Thanks Beth! Glad you enjoyed the recipe. I appreciate the comment.
Are there any substitutes for vinegar if you don’t ever have any of any kind?
Hi Jackie – vinegar provides the acid “tang” in this recipe. I have made it successfully using white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, etc. If your goal is to eliminate vinegar entirely you will need to substitute another acidic liquid. That is not easy without impacting the flavor. I think your best shot would be to try 1Tbsp of lemon juice or 1 Tbsp of white wine. Please let me know how it turns out. Thanks.
How many people does this serve and how much would I use for 10 people or so
We usually serve 4-5 people with the recipe as is. We typically add egg rolls and some dumplings or fried rice as sides. For 10 adults I would double the recipe. If there are any teenagers involved you might want to triple it
I am going to try this recipe tonight. I stumbled upon it on Pinterest. Typically when I make recipes like this I double or one and a half the sauce (my kids like it saucy 🙂
Anyhow… would you recommend that? Also, have you ever added onions or green peppers to the sauce?
Hi Jana -doubling the sauce is a good idea if you want lots to share. Adding some sliced green onions as the chicken is finishing up before you add the liquids would be a nice touch
Tried this recipe last night, followed it to a T and all I can say is……….. gimmee some more! So delicious, the chicken was tender and the sauce was divine! I would not change a thing. Whenever I try a new recipe my husband and I rate it and decide whether we’d like it again, or what to add or change. This is a keeper recipe with no changes here. We’ll definitely be putting this in our rotation for great dinner meals! Thank you . “Old Guy!”
Awe, thanks Vicki! I’m glad you enjoyed it. It is a favorite at our house too.
This is one of the best copycat recipes I’ve made. Thanks so much!!
Thanks Aimee. Really glad you liked it. It took months to perfect, but it was worth the wait 🙂
Thanks Aimee!
Can you chicken breast cut up instead of thighs.
Melissa you can definitely make this with chicken breast. I find the thighs are a little more juicy, but I’ve made it both ways depending on what was in the cupboard.
I used chicken breast and it was delicious.
Ran across this on Pinterest today while looking for a quick and easy chicken recipe but wanting something different. I followed the directions exactly and it turned out perfect and delicious. This will be part of my go to collection. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Thanks Georgie – so glad you enjoyed this recipe. It is one of my most popular recipes and a favorite at our house too! I appreciate the comment.
I’ve made this recipe a couple of times as directed with no issues at all! Super easy, delicious, and even my picky husband loved it!
Thanks for sharing Mandi! Glad you are enjoying the recipe.
Mandi – Thanks for stopping by and for the kind words.
Oh man! Just made this for dinner tonight. It was amazing! No leftovers sadly. Next time I’ll have to double up but I was so good even my picky eater had seconds! Thank you!
Thanks Samentha! I really appreciate feedback when people use my recipes. Glad you liked it.
I love this recipe!!! 😋 We have made it 3 times already. I was wondering have you every marinated the chicken thighs in the sauce before cooking?
I have not, but you certainly could. Just reserve the marinade while cooking the chicken then add it back.