Bourbon Chicken

This fantastically delicious chicken dish comes to us courtesy of Mel at My Kitchen Cafe. I've never met a Mel's recipe I didn't like, and this one has rocketed to the top as one of my all time favorite chicken dishes. It is SO good. My only criticism is of myself - I didn't double the recipe! (And if you're worried about the title, don't be - there's not even a trace of bourbon in this recipe...)

If you're craving Chinese take out, make this instead - it will be done in less than 30 minutes and you'll know exactly what's in it. You can use chicken breasts or thighs - I used thighs cause that's what I prefer for Chinese food, and I had them on hand. Cut them into bite sized pieces, then coat with cornstarch.



You can skip the cornstarch step if you like, but it's what gives the chicken the slightly crunchy coating that makes this really authentic. I find it easiest to coat all the pieces first,



then fry them in batches in hot oil over medium high heat until golden brown, about 2minutes.



Flip the chicken pieces over, then fry on the reverse side until golden, about 2 minutes. Drain the chicken on paper towels and set aside.

For the sauce, combine the apple juice, brown sugar,



garlic, ground ginger and crushed red pepper flakes,



ketchup, cider vinegar, water and soy sauce



and whisk well. Add to the pan and cook over medium high heat



until the mixture boils. Be sure to stir so you can scrape up all the fried chicken pieces on the bottom of the pan. That cornstarch that's stuck there will help the sauce thicken up!



Add the chicken back to the pan



and simmer for 10 minutes.



Enjoy!

Find more inspiration at Tuesdays at the Table , Tasty Tuesday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday and What's Cooking Wednesday.

Bourbon Chicken
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
4 Tbsp. oil
3-4 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and lightly dust with cornstarch. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat and fry chicken pieces in batches until lightly browned, turning each piece once. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

In a bowl combine all sauce ingredients. Pour into pan and bring to a boil. Add chicken pieces back to the pan, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.