I have always loved going to the mall and sampling the cajun food at the food court. This bourbon street chicken recipe is an attempt to mimic or recreate that classic mall food experience.
And even though the recipe takes its name from the popular street in New Orleans, we’ve made sure to include some actual Jack Daniels ® whiskey in our creation.
Crock-Pot Bourbon Chicken
One of the common qualities of all the best bourbon street chicken recipes is the tenderness of the chicken. No one wants to eat chicken that is hard to chew or contains massive wads of fat.
We also wanted to make enough tasty bourbon glazed chicken for plenty of leftovers. Therefore, we elected to use a crock pot to slow cook our amazingly delicious chicken creation.
How to Make Bourbon Chicken
First thing’s first, Jack Daniels Whiskey ® is not actually a bourbon but it has a very similar taste. I quite like the flavor and it is reasonably priced, so we added it.
In all honesty, traditional bourbon street chicken doesn’t contain any bourbon at all. The name originates from Bourbon Street.
Quality fresh ingredients are always a major priority when preparing any dish. Making a quality bourbon street chicken recipe also involves the use of many ingredients and plenty of time and patients. If you try to rush the process, the chicken will be tough and you will be unsatisfied with the end result.
The first thing you should do to start this bourbon chicken recipe is turn on the crock pot to allow time for warm up. We elected to use chicken thighs in our bourbon chicken recipe because they are a juicier cut of meat than chicken breast.
If you prefer chicken breast, feel free to make the change. I find that chicken breast doesn’t really have the texture and consistency found in traditional bourbon street chicken.
While waiting for the crock pot to warm, trim all the unnecessary fat off the chicken thighs or chicken breast and cut the meat into smaller bite-sized chunks. The trimming and cutting don’t have to be exact.
Add all the ingredients in the bourbon chicken recipe, minus the cornstarch, green onions, and water, and stir. Allow the ingredients time to simmer before progressing to the next step.
Next, we need the ingredients to thicken. For this reason, we opted for cornstarch. Just make sure to blend the cornstarch into cold water and gradually add to the rest of the mixture and stir.
If you don’t practice patience in this step, the recipe will not properly thicken up when it has finished cooking.
Be sure to occasionally stir this recipe as it continues to cook for 8 hours. Once every few hours should work.
In the final step, you can add the chopped green onion stalks to the top of your masterpiece as a garnish.
Cooking with Bourbon
There is something magical with chicken and bourbon. If you have concerns about the addition of bourbon, the alcohol content will cook off over the 8 hours of waiting, so this recipe is appropriate for children.
If you would rather play it safe, feel free to omit that ingredient. The recipe will still taste amazing!
As I mentioned earlier, I chose Jack Daniels ® whiskey over actual bourbon but feel free to use an authentic bourbon if it makes you happy.
When cooking with bourbon, the alcohol content will cook off during the long heating process.
Best Bourbon Street Chicken Recipe | Food Court Bourbon Chicken Copycat
If you’re a big fan of the bourbon glazed chicken you get at the mall food court, you’re gonna want to try this recipe. Our dish uses quality ingredients and actual bourbon whiskey.
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 10 chicken thighs boneless, skinless, chunked
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp sweet Asian chili sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ginger root grated
- 3 tbsp cornstarch mixed with cold water
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup Jack Daniels Whiskey
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 green onion stalk chopped
Instructions
1) Set the slow cooker to low heat and allow 5 to 10 minutes to warm up
2) Cut excess fat off of the chicken thighs and cut into cubes
3) Add all the remaining ingredients, minus the cornstarch and water, and green onion stalks
3) Allow ingredients to simmer for approximately 30 minutes and then gradually stir in the cornstarch mixed in cold water. If you fail to do this step the sauce will not thicken
4) Stir the mixture ever 2 hours for a total of 8 hours
5) Reduce the heat on the crock pot to warm and allow the mixture to cool down before serving
6) Add the green onion stalks for garnish
Enjoy!
Final Thoughts About Bourbon Street Chicken
This recipe is one of my all-time favorites and I enjoy making it on a regular basis. If you enjoy this bourbon street chicken recipe, please comment and share it on social media!
