Crock Pot Bourbon Chicken Recipe is a must-try dish! Recipe
This Crock Pot Bourbon Chicken recipe is a deliciously sweet, tangy, and savory slow-cooked dish featuring tender chicken thighs simmered in a flavorful bourbon-infused sauce. Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner, this recipe offers rich caramelized notes from brown sugar and bourbon, balanced with soy sauce and a hint of heat from red pepper flakes. Serve it over rice or cauliflower rice for a comforting, satisfying meal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours (high) or 6 hours (low)
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes (high) or 6 hours 10 minutes (low)
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Fat
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
Sauce
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup bourbon whiskey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
Thickener & Garnish
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup chopped green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Add the trimmed chicken thighs to the bottom of your slow cooker, ensuring they are evenly spread out for even cooking.
- Make the Sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar, soy sauce, bourbon whiskey, apple cider vinegar, ground ginger, honey, red pepper flakes, and minced garlic until well combined.
- Combine and Cook: Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
- Shred the Chicken: Remove the cooked chicken from the slow cooker and chop or shred it to your desired texture using forks or a knife.
- Thicken the Sauce: Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl to create a slurry. Stir this into the sauce remaining in the slow cooker.
- Recombine and Simmer: Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir to coat with the thickened sauce. Let it cook for an additional 5–10 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken and cling to the chicken.
- Serve and Garnish: Turn off the slow cooker. Garnish the bourbon chicken with chopped green onions and serve hot over white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
Notes
- You can substitute chicken breasts for thighs; however, thighs retain juiciness better during slow cooking.
- For a stronger bourbon flavor, increase the bourbon to ½ cup and slightly reduce the soy sauce.
- Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to customize the heat level according to your preference.
- Leftover bourbon chicken stores well in the refrigerator for 3–4 days and freezes beautifully for up to 2 months.
- Serve with steamed vegetables or a fresh salad to complete the meal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
Keywords: bourbon chicken, crock pot chicken, slow cooker chicken, easy chicken recipe, bourbon sauce, sweet and savory chicken, comfort food
