Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Bourbon Chicken (without the bourbon)


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 I hope all of you had a wonderful day yesterday!!  We did at our house.  We made the kids red velvet crepes for breakfast, which turned out amazing, and the hubs made me dinner.  Perfect!

I don't know about you, but I love super fast, simple meals sometimes.  There are days that I don't mind being in the kitchen for several hours but on most days I don't have that much time to spend on dinner.  

With 4 kids needing to get place and 3 sets of homework to make sure is done, sometimes I look at the clock and realize it's already 5pm and I don't even know what I am going to make for dinner.

I love having several recipes on hand that I can whip out really quick and the kids love.  Stroganoff, spaghetti, alfredo, rice, tacos, salad are some of the favorites but now we have a new one to add to our repertoire.  This chicken was so super easy and absolutely delicious.  Pair it with rice and you have one quick, yummy dinner.  My favorite!

Bourbon Chicken

(click here for printable version)


4 chicken breasts
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic
1/4 cup apple or pineapple juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
pinch red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. cornstarch

NOTE: Here is a little trick Jamie uses to thaw chicken. Set the frozen chicken breasts in a large bowl in your sink. Pour hot tap water over the chicken. Let the it sit for about 10 minutes. Pour the water out and then pour fresh hot water over the chicken again. Let it sit for 10 more minutes, and it should be thawed. Pour the water off of the chicken and you are ready to use it. Sweet!  It work awesome for me and makes it that much quicker!

1.  Cut your chicken into small 1-2 inch pieces. Heat up a large skillet over medium high heat. Once it is hot, pour oil into it.  Add your chicken pieces to the pan and let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The chicken will start to get a bit juicy and bubbly. If needed, put the lid on the pan, slightly tilted and drain the juices out into the sink. Return the pan to the stove top and continue cooking over medium high heat.

2. Into a medium sized mixing bowl combine garlic, apple or pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup,  apple cider vinegar, water, soy sauce, a pinch of red pepper flakes and cornstarch. Whisk it all together until the cornstarch is dissolved and all ingredients are well combined and smooth.

3. When your chicken has a nice brown sear on some of the pieces, pour the sauce into the pan. Stir it around to cover all the chicken pieces. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pan with the lid at an angle to allow some of the steam to escape. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times during the cooking period, watching carefully so the chicken doesn't burn.

4. Serve over white or brown rice and enjoy!

Source: Jamie Cooks It Up

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