This Instant Pot Bourbon Chicken is a delicious sticky-sweet chicken served on a bed of rice. The dish is named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – use any neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Chicken thighs – chicken breast or tenders cut into bite-sized pieces can also be used.
- Bourbon – for an alcohol-free version, replace the bourbon with an equal amount of chicken broth or apple juice. You can also just increase the amount of honey, soy sauce and ketchup.
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari are the best substitutes for soy sauce.
- Honey – maple syrup or agave can be used instead.
- Ketchup – you can use tomato paste, but you’ll need to add in a bit more honey so the dish is still sweet.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Ginger – if you don’t have any fresh ginger, ground ginger powder or ginger paste can be used instead.
- Cornstarch – potato starch or arrowroot would also work.
- Green onions – leave these off if you’re not a fan.
Rice
- White rice – feel free to use any rice variety of your choice.
- Butter – margarine or olive oil will also make the rice nice and moist.
- Salt – to taste.
How to make bourbon chicken in the Instant Pot
- Add the first 8 ingredients to the Instant Pot in order.
- Make the cornstarch slurry.
- Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry.
- Thicken the sauce.
- Serve over rice and enjoy!
Is there alcohol in bourbon chicken?
Yes, this recipe does call for a small amount of bourbon for the sauce. Keep in mind that because the Instant Pot limits evaporation, the alcohol will not cook off like it would on the stovetop.
If you’re sensitive to alcohol or will be serving this to the family, you can replace the bourbon with an equal amount of chicken broth or apple juice. Alternatively, you can increase the amount of honey, soy sauce and ketchup used in the recipe to replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bourbon chicken was named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans. It thought that it originated in a Chinese restaurant on Bourbon Street. Plus, a main component of the sauce is bourbon alcohol!
The sauce for this bourbon chicken recipe is made with bourbon, soy sauce, honey, ketchup, minced garlic and minced ginger. You’ll need to add a cornstarch slurry to the sauce after it’s cooked so it gets nice and thick.
This bourbon chicken is definitely healthier than the kind you’d get from your local takeout spot! Since you’re using whole ingredients, you don’t have to worry about any additives in the sauce. It contains 431 calories per serving.
Bourbon chicken is a Cajun and Chinese-American hybrid dish. It’s typically found at Cajun and Chinese-American restaurants across North America, but it originated in New Orleans, so it’s not a true Chines dish.
Storing and reheating
Transfer leftovers to a sealed container and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You could also divide the meal into several containers with rice and vegetables for easy meal prep! Reheat the leftovers the microwave or on the stove with extra sauce until warmed through.
Freezing this recipe
This bourbon chicken recipe can be frozen for up to 3 months. Once it’s cooled, transfer it to airtight glass containers or freezer-safe Ziploc bags with the sauce. When you’re ready to enjoy, let it defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat as normal and serve with fresh rice.
More Instant Pot chicken recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on storing the leftovers.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
Instant Pot Bourbon Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb chicken thighs, diced into 1 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
- 4 green onions, sliced
Rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Add olive oil, chicken, bourbon, soy sauce, honey, ketchup, garlic and ginger to Instant Pot in that order.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal. Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 2 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook for 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook all ingredients listed under rice heading in a rice cooker or on the stovetop, and mix together 1 tbsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water in a small bowl.
- Do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
- Stir cornstarch & water mixture into chicken mixture, then turn Instant Pot to saute mode, sauteeing chicken for 3-4 minutes until sauce thickens.
- Serve chicken over rice, then garnish with green onions and enjoy!
