The Truth About How Each Ingredient Makes Bourbon Chicken Taste Insane

Some days my husband asks me for specific meals I’ve never made before, so I get to learn new flavors and techniques. Today I made bourbon chicken and it was delicious, but the sauce wasn’t enough, so I definitely need to add more next time. Also, the recipe I followed said to toss the chicken in cornstarch and fry it, and I do NOT recommend that at all. I would sear the chicken until golden and then finish it in the sauce. Besides that, 10/10, that bourbon flavor was just 😮‍💨😮‍💨

I took my time with this, which is exactly what I recommend you do too. That’s the whole point of cozy cooking… to enjoy every step, every fragrance, every flavor. To know what and why you’re adding each thing.

So this is my favorite part, and I know you don’t want to miss it, because I’m about to tell you the truth behind every single ingredient I used.

Why These Ingredients Matter in Bourbon Chicken

If you’ve ever wondered what the essential bourbon chicken ingredients actually do, this is where everything starts making sense.

Let’s start with the chicken… but in a different way.

Raw chicken is not the best option flavor-wise. I don’t recommend it to anybody, especially because… well, you know, one doctor visit and maybe God if you’re unlucky, so let’s avoid that.

The flavor comes alive only once you cook it.

As I mentioned before, I tossed it in cornstarch and fried it. I won’t do that again, because it was hard to get it crispy and I had to cook it so long that the chicken ended up overcooking.

So what I recommend instead is: don’t bother. Or wait until I come up with a strategy that makes the chicken crispy AND tender.

Nina’s Tip: How I Cook My Chicken for Saucy Meals What I’ve been doing is frying the chicken on high heat, one side at a time, with salt, and removing it before it’s fully cooked. I know it sounds crazy, but it finishes cooking when you add it back into the sauce. And obviously, this only works in recipes where the chicken goes back into heat.

When you remove the chicken from the oil, that’s where the flavor begins. The oil is now infused with chicken deliciousness. If there’s too much oil, you can save some for another recipe, just make sure you strain it first (I’ll talk about that in another post.)

And now, with that beautiful oil, you start your veggies. In Spanish we call this sofrito, and it is the base of EVERYTHING. You want a good meal? Include the sofrito. Game changer. Trust me.

Let’s focus on the sofrito for this recipe.

The Sofrito Ingredients: Why I Use Them

I used:

• Ginger

• Onion

• Green onion

• Garlic
  

Each one adds a unique flavor, so let’s talk about WHY you use them and HOW to use them.

Garlic

My top 1 ingredient. Literally every single recipe I make has garlic. If a recipe says “1 clove”, I add 5.

The magic is that garlic changes flavor depending on whether you cook it or not. Since we’re cooking it here, you get a fragrant, sweet, deep flavor.

IMPORTANT: Start with room-temperature oil. Garlic (and ginger) barely have water in them, so if you add them to hot oil, oh honey… they will burn immediately and you will lose your precious chicken oil AND your garlic. So don’t.

I always add them first, before the oil is hot. If you want, you can add them later in the sofrito, especially if you’re scared of burning them (which is valid), but to me the flavor is better when cooked slowly.

Now that we’re on ginger… let’s go there.

Ginger

To me there is ONE reason to use ginger: It makes everything taste Asian-inspired, and that flavor is my favorite on earth.

It took me years to realize that what my cooking was missing was ginger. It adds a tiny bit of sourness, but to the fragrance, not the flavor. And it is delicious. If you want your food to taste a little bit more Asian-inspired, PLEASE add ginger. You won't regret it.

Green Onion

Let’s talk about green onion. Because you actually get two ingredients in one.

I separate it into:

• Cookable part → the white and pale green bottom

• Do-not-cook part → the dark green top

  
  

The bottom cooks BEAUTIFULLY. It gives onion flavor without burning.

The green part? Listen, you can cook it, but it will look like burnt confetti in your food. Raw is best. Use it to garnish, mix into sauces after they’re done, or sprinkle on top for color and flavor explosions.

Nina’s Tip: Have a green onion plant in your kitchen. I cut the tops all the time to garnish, and they grow super fast. And when it's ready, you can harvest it whole. If you save half an inch with roots and plant it, it grows again. Magic.

Onion

This onion girl should be your best friend even if she makes you cry. It’s like a toxic relationship. She makes you cry, then you cook her, eat her… and now that I say it out loud it sounds super creepy.

Anyway... this is my TOP 2 ingredient. I always have at least 2 onions at home. They give so much flavor, especially when cooked. The longer you cook them, the sweeter they get.

Trust me: if you want to cook every day with what you have, just keep onions. You can make EVERYTHING with them. And garlic.

With all this, now your sofrito is ready. Super simple, see?

Now Let’s Talk About the Sauce

For the sauce, I used:

• Bourbon whiskey

• Soy sauce

• Brown sugar

• Chicken stock

• Pepper flakes

Bourbon

The bourbon needs its own category.

I’ve cooked with wine before but never with whiskey, which is crazy because now I’m obsessed.

This would go SO well with red meat too, I want to try it with a steak one day just to see what happens.

When cooking with alcohol, you have to make sure the alcohol evaporates.This is what the fancy Michelin chefs call a reduction.

My trick: Cover the pan for a bit, uncover it, and smell it.If it still smells like alcohol, it's not ready.

You can also flame it, but my stove is electric so… not happening lol.

Soy Sauce

Soy sauce adds saltiness, depth, and that fermented flavor nothing else can replace. Whenever my food needs salt but also something more, soy sauce is my go-to.

Brown Sugar

Do you want color? Sweetness? A thicker sauce?

If the answer to all that is YES! Then add brown sugar.

Secret: I use it with veggies too. 10/10.

Chicken Stock

Why add plain water when you can add flavored water?

Making it is soooo easy, boil chicken with salt, veggies, spices for 2–3 hours. Freeze it. Done.This always adds that extra flavor to meals.

Pepper Flakes

They add a little spicy something without being hot and annoying. I can’t handle heat but I LOVE that tiny end-of-bite sparkle.

When It All Comes Together

The magic happens when you add your sauce to the sofrito, and then your chicken to the thickened sauce.Omg… that’s when you see the fireworks.

I still have to perfect this recipe, so I won’t leave exact measurements yet.I only want to bring quality here, so subscribe because soon I’ll send full recipes to your email.

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My Fried Rice (Quick Side Note)

The fried rice is SO easy. I make it differently every time because I improvise, but the most important ingredient is always ginger.

Anyway, here’s how I made this one specifically in this other post.

Fried Rice Recipe

And if you’re worried about your house smelling too much like food, I have a guide for that too

How to deal with the smell

See you next time with other news,

With all the love in the world,

Nina Meek