Best Bourbon Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 pounds skinless , boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 0.75 cups apple-grape-cherry juice
• 0.67 cups soy sauce
• 0.25 cups ketchup
• 0.25 cups peach-flavored bourbon liqueur , such as Southern Comfort ®
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 0.75 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes , or to taste
• 0.5 teaspoons ground ginger
• 0.25 cups apple-grape-cherry juice
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large, heavy pan. Cook and stir chicken pieces in hot oil until lightly golden on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a bowl and set aside.

2. 2

   Whisk together water, brown sugar, 3/4 cup fruit juice, soy sauce, ketchup, bourbon liqueur, vinegar, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, and ginger in the Dutch oven. Bring sauce to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

3. 3

   Stir chicken into sauce, then bring to a full boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until sauce is reduced and thickened and chicken pieces are no longer pink in the middle, about 20 minutes.

4. 4

   Remove chicken pieces to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Stir together 1/4 cup fruit juice with cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth; whisk into sauce, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Bring to a simmer; cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Return chicken pieces to sauce and stir to combine.