Spicy and sweet, Copycat Cajun Cafe Bourbon Chicken Bites are tender chunks of chicken cooked in a bourbon and brown sugar sauce. They will melt in your mouth.
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Copycat Cajun Cafe Bourbon Chicken Bites
Did you know that Bourbon Chicken is actually named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana? However, it does have bourbon whiskey in it too. This entree is commonly found at Cajun-themed and Chinese restaurants.
Copycat Cajun Cafe Bourbon Chicken Bites is packed with flavorful ingredients. It contains soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, bourbon, and plenty of seasonings.
One bite and your taste buds are going to be happy happy!
About the ingredients
- Chicken – I started with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. However, I think chicken thighs would taste more like the original recipe. I’m not a big fan of chicken thighs so I used chicken breast in my recipe. You can use your favorite.
- Bourbon – It’s not necessary to use an expensive, single barrel bourbon for this recipe. I used cheaper bourbon for cooking like Old Charter, Jim Beam, or Wild Turkey. And, technically, all bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskey is bourbon. You can use either whiskey or bourbon.
- Soy Sauce – I always use reduced sodium soy sauce, but usually what you like best.
- Ginger – For a real flavor punch, use fresh ginger. You can find it in the produce section. You’ll just need a little. The peel comes off easily with a spoon. To grate fresh ginger, cut a piece big enough to hold comfortably in your hand. Grate using a microplane grater.
- Substitutions – Also, if you can use apple juice instead of the bourbon. If you use juice, you may want to reduce the amount of brown sugar in the recipe.
In conclusion
There are a lot of bold flavors going on in this recipe. The soy sauce, bourbon, and ginger really shine through. The bonus is it’s a quick and easy recipe, ideal for busy weeknights.
Serve simply with rice and a green salad.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary based on products used.
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- 1 tablespoon coconut oil olive or canola oil can be used
- 2 pounds chicken cubed, thighs or breast*
- 1 teaspoon ginger fresh, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/4-1/3 cup bourbon --- or apple or cranberry juice*
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in water, just enough to dissolve it 2-3 tablespoons
Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Remove any excess fat or skin.
In a large saute pan or skillet heat the coconut oil on medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook on medium stirring every couple of minutes until the juices have cooked off. The chicken should be a little brown. This will take 8-10 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, combine the ginger, garlic, pepper, soy, bourbon, water, vinegar, and brown sugar. Whisk to combine.
Add the bourbon mixture to the chicken and stir well. Allow the liquid to come to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes so that the alcohol cooks off.
Dissolve the cornstarch in water and add to the pan. Stir to combine. This will thicken the sauce. It will thicken it quickly so be ready to serve everything at this point.
Serve with rice or noodles.
*read the post above for details on substitutions
Recipe from Paula @CallMePMc.com All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission that includes copying the ingredient list or entire recipe and posting in the comments on Pinterest for Facebook. If you want to share this recipe, please simply link back to this post for the recipe.
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Lisa says
Sounds great but i have a question: In your text you say to use fresh, grated ginger, however,in the ingredient list you list ground ginger???
Paula says
That’s an error, it should be fresh. Thanks for letting me know!