Sticky Bourbon Chicken Stir Fry
A quick, delicious and sticky stir fry dish with a saucy flavor enhanced by the addition of bourbon.
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Sticky Bourbon Chicken Stir Fry is a deliciously rich and tasty dish that’s great for quick family meals or part of a buffet-style collection of plates. Everyone will enjoy demolishing sweet and savory chicken that’s coated in a thick sticky sauce combining Kentucky style bourbon and brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, herbs and spices.
Kentucky Bourbon is the key to this meal’s success, and it need not be expensive liquor. Bourbon when cooked up can help provide a depth of sweetness to your meal while also adding fruity, woody, and nutty flavor. The alcohol cooks off almost straight away (leaving a luscious glaze), so don’t think of this as a boozy meal, but one in which the super ingredient creates a sticky-sweetness that makes the dish spectacular.
Our recipe for Sticky Bourbon Chicken Stir Fry is crafted in three parts – marinade, sauce, and stir fry – yet the process is quick to come together and very simple to follow. This three parts ensures that other flavors, which come from popular pantry staples, are given the maximum opportunity to coalesce with the bourbon and become a layer of the sticky sauce. The result is juicy chicken pieces coated in a delicious contrast between sweet, salty, and tangy layers.
I love making this meal for guests and visiting family, for its decadent look and ability to pair well with more bland rice or noodle choices. It also makes for a simple, satisfying dinner when paired with steamed greens. Even with no forward planning, you can have Sticky Bourbon Chicken Stir Fry on the table in less than an hour, with 30 minutes of that spent marinating the chicken in the fridge!
Stir Fry Sticky Bourbon Chicken
For the Chicken Marinade:
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1-inch chunks)
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ketjap manis (sweet soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ketjap manis (sweet soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
For the Stir Fry:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon crushed ginger
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/2 yellow onion onion, chopped finely
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 2 tablespoons water)
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 green onion stalk, chopped finely
Preparation
- Mix the marinade ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the chicken pieces, then combine thoroughly. Cover and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together in a separate bowl, and set aside.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan. Spread the chicken out evenly, then sear on each side for 1 minute. Turn off the heat, place the seared chicken on a plate and set aside.
- Return the wok to medium heat and add remaining vegetable oil, along with ginger, garlic, and onion. Stir-fry for 1 minute seconds or until the onion is translucent.
- Stir in the bourbon to deglaze the wok, then pour in the sauce mixture. Once the sauce begins to simmer, add the chicken back into the sauce mixture. Gradually stir in the cornstarch and water slurry.
- Continue to stir and cook the bourbon chicken until the sauce has thickened (5-7 minutes). Stir in the green onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then place in a serving bowl.
- Serve the stir fried bourbon chicken immediately with steamed green veggies and/or rice!
Recipe adapted from Diethood