Trying to be Super Woman is Hard Work
Bourbon Chicken Teriyaki
There is this greasy-spoon restaurant in the food court at the mall that specializes in Cajun cooking. For years now, The Husband has been obsessed with their Bourbon chicken.
I’m a little competitive when it comes to my cooking and I was determined not to let myself be outdone by a restaurant that sells chicken-on-a-stick. I have tried just about every recipe for Bourbon chicken you can imagine and have never been able to get it right – the flavor wasn’t the same, the sauce wasn’t sticky enough, yada, yada, yada.
Feeling like a complete and utter failure, I put my quest for the ultimate Bourbon chicken on hold for a few years. Then Pinterest entered my life. As if I needed one more thing competing for what little free time I have, now there is a website where I can gather ideas on how to refinish an old coffee table, redecorate my living room, make homemade holiday decorations and then feel like a complete and utter failure because I’ve spent the last hour surfing the web for stuff I’ll never have time to do when I should be cleaning my house. Oh look, and the baby just smeared applesauce through his hair when I wasn’t looking.
Deep breath, deep breath . . .pull yourself together . . .where was I?
Oh yes, I found this recipe on Pinterest. I liked the list of ingredients, added some of my own touches, and changed the method up quite a bit. However, as I started browning my chicken in a skillet I became skeptical because the sauce seemed to be thin and watery just like every other time. The Husband even poked his head into the kitchen, glanced over my shoulder, and then pretended to get a beer from the fridge. I knew from his lack of verbal cues that he was having his doubts too.
After the first batch came out looking kind of pale and sickly, I made some adjustments – added a little flour, let the chicken brown a little longer. Soon the sauce began to turn caramel brown and coat the chicken.
I think I’ve got it! I think I’ve got it!
The real test of course would be whether the Bourbon chicken man himself approved. He took a few bites and I waited in agonizing silence.
“Well?” I finally asked.
He looked at me and nodded. “This one is a keeper. It’s really good.”
WHOOHOO!
So I my house may not always be clean, the laundry may not always be folded, and my kid may occasionally have applesauce smeared in his hair. But I can make a mean Bourbon chicken that The Husband approves of.
I’ll take it.
| Bourbon Chicken Teriyaki |
- Bourbon marinade:
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- Teriyaki Sauce:
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup cold water
- Additionally:
- 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- Combine first six ingredients in a large bowl or resealable plastic bag.
- Add chicken pieces.
- Marinate for up to eight hours.
- Bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the soy sauce, mirin, and sugars. Stir until sugars are dissolved. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Add to soy sauce mixture and continue to boil until sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Drain and discard chicken marinade. Add flour to chicken pieces and stir to coat.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, spread chicken pieces in a single layer in the pan. Cook until chicken begins to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Using a spatula, flip chicken pieces over to brown the other side. Add ¼ cup of the teriyaki sauce to the pan. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce reduces and darkens in color and begins to coat the chicken. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken. Afterwards, return all the chicken to the skillet. Add another ¼ cup teriyaki sauce. Cook until chicken is heated through and coated with the sauce.
- Serve chicken over hot white rice. Sprinkle with sliced green onions if desired.
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You had me at bourbon. That looks delicious! Lovely pic.
You can’t possibly go wrong with a recipe that includes a bourbon marinade, IMO.
PS – I’m convinced that Pinterest is a conspiracy designed to make me feel that my food isn’t photogenic enough, my outfits aren’t coordinated enough, my house isn’t decorated enough, and my vacation destinations aren’t breathtaking enough. And yet… I still can’t stop pinning everything that catches my eye (like, say, this recipe). Sigh.
Everything with bourbon in the kitchen MUST works!!
So, I have to try this recipe, the colour of the food in the photo, and the verdict of your husband seems enough guarantees!!
This looks amazingly delicious. Am craving for some right now… my only wish is to be taught on how to use the chopsticks
I just made this – I followed the recipe except for I added fresh ginger, garlic, and chili garlic sauce to both the marinade and the sauce (I like some heat). It was amazing. I’ll be cooking this at my next dinner party. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thanks for letting me know how it turned out! I’m so glad it was a success. Funny, my husband mentioned adding some heat and I decided next time I made this I would add a little chili garlic sauce.
This recipe really appeals to me and will definitely give it a try. It may even make it onto my blog, in which case I will of course mention/tag you! It’s definitely my kind of food. Great photo btw and I like your site.
I love this post and I’m so proud of you for kicking the food court’s butt! This looks delicious.
Also, pinterest is like crack. Can’t stop, won’t stop.
This is beautiful! I saw this on tastespotting or food gawker and made a mental note to try using bourbon with a teriyaki sauce. Lovely!!
I just love and adore…CHICKEN TERIYAKI…and this looks absolutely gorgeous! I know BOURBON is clearly one of the main ingredients of this dish, but if I d want to make just CHICKEN TERIYAKI, what could I substitute the bourbon with??
The blog where I found the original recipe used this substitute: 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup water, and 2 tsp of sugar.
This looks absolutely amazing but I’m a little confused about one thing. 4 pounds of chicken makes 4 servings?
You have mirin in the list of ingredients, but does the recipe call for 1/4 cup, tablespoon, or teaspoon??
Thanks for pointing that out. It should be 1/4 cup. I have corrected the recipe.