Copycat Food Court Bourbon Chicken

More About This Recipe

• Oh the food court! The place of quick meals, sweet sauces and big plates. To be honest, I don’t frequent them all that much, but occasionally I do get a craving for a few specific dishes that can really only be found at these spots. One dish that I’m particularly fond of is generically called “Bourbon Chicken.” You can find it frequently at places like Cajun Café and many Chinese chain restaurants. Ironically, not all the recipes for this dish include bourbon whiskey; the name actually pays homage to a dish originally made on Bourbon Street in New Orleans! This recipe skips the bourbon, but if you did want to use it in the sauce, you could try using it in place of some or all of the chicken broth called for. Making something like this at home is actually easier than you might think and you probably have most of the ingredients you need in your pantry already. The key to making it great is to cube your chicken and get it cooking in the skillet with some oil. Then whisk your sauce together and don’t skip the cornstarch. That’s what’ll thicken the spicy/savory/sweet sauce so it sticks beautifully to the chicken. When the chicken is mostly cooked through, pour in the sauce and let it thicken on the chicken as it finishes cooking. The result is a beautiful dish that has all the flavors you crave. Make it at home and skip the food court run!