Slow Cooker Bourbon Chicken Recipe

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Published: February 14, 2013Updated: July 8, 2022Author: Elyse Ellis
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Slow Cooker Bourbon Chicken Recipe
This recipe for Slow Cooker Bourbon Chicken is perfect if you want a delicious meal but don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking in the kitchen!
Bourbon Chicken doesn’t actually have bourbon in it – it is named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
slow cooker bourbon chicken
Serves: 6

Slow Cooker Bourbon Chicken Recipe

A tasty chicken dish that cooks all day in the slow cooker. You'll love this and want to add it to your dinner rotation.
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 6 hrs
Total Time 6 hrs 15 mins
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Ingredients

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • ½ teaspoon minced garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • ¼ cup apple juice
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ cup cornstarch

Instructions

  • Place chicken breasts in the bottom of slow cooker.
  •  In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, apple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, water and soy sauce. Pour sauce on top of chicken.
  • Replace lid and cook 6-8 hours on low.  Remove chicken and shred or cut into chunks. 
  • In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup cornstarch with 1/4 cup of sauce from the crock pot.  Whisk together and pour back into the crock pot to thicken the sauce. 
  • Return chicken to the slow cooker and let warm until ready to serve.  Serve over rice and garnish with additional red pepper flakes.

Notes

How to make this into a freezer meal:
Add all ingredients EXCEPT CORNSTARCH to a gallon-sized freezer bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal bag closed. Place freezer bag into freezer and it will last 60-90 days. When ready to use, spray inside of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and dump ingredients from bag into slow cooker. Place the lid on top. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 6-8 hours (or HIGH heat for 3-4 hours). Follow the rest of the instructions as written.

Nutrition

Calories: 160 kcal · Carbohydrates: 18 g · Protein: 17 g · Fat: 2 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 48 mg · Sodium: 611 mg · Potassium: 348 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 11 g · Vitamin A: 73 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 17 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker
  • Mixing Bowl

Recipe Details

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
(Recipe adapted from Fake Ginger)

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  1. Eric Pepple says:
    February 14, 2013
    I'd love to make this...assuming I didn't already finish the bourbon! Thanks for sharing :)

    Happy Blogging!
    Happy Valley Chow
  2. Danielle says:
    February 14, 2013
    I love bourbon chicken and havent had it in forever. I am making this one for sure...but where's the bourbon?
  4. Sinea says:
    February 14, 2013
    Elyse, our sons will love this. Just their kind of recipe. Planning on trying it really soon.

    Many blessings, Sinea from Ducks ?n a Row
  5. Penny says:
    February 14, 2013
    This sounds delicious and will definitely try it. However, can anyone explain why when using the slow cooker my food has so much liquid. It never looks like the pictures I see.
  6. Dana says:
    February 14, 2013
    This looks and sounds amazing! Thanks! Enjoy your night!
  7. Six Sisters says:
    February 14, 2013
    We use a slotted spoon when we dish it out of the Crock Pot and only use as much liquid as we want. Hope this helps! -The Six Sisters
  8. Christy Richards says:
    February 14, 2013
    I dont have a crock pot :( is there another way of making it? I Love Bourbon Chicken!!
  9. Vicki says:
    February 14, 2013
    No bourbon?
  10. Maia says:
    February 14, 2013
    Where is the Pintrest button?
  11. debi53 says:
    February 14, 2013
    Why is it called Bourbon Chicken if there isn't any Bourbon in it, am I missing something????
  12. Pamela Jones says:
    February 14, 2013
    I've read the recipe several times and then decided to read the comments. Glad I'm not loosing my mind when I didn't see bourbon listed. Is the sauce suppose to mimic the bourbon taste?
  13. Duker says:
    February 15, 2013
    you call is bourbon chicken but there is no bourbon in it? not really a bourbon chicken then is it?
  14. Jan - WFDM? says:
    February 15, 2013
    I was excited to see the recipe but alas... no bourbon! Does the recipe have an error?
  15. Six Sisters says:
    February 15, 2013
    No bourbon....no error. The name actually comes from the name of a street - Bourbon Street, not the alcohol. It's so delicious. NO Bourbon!!
  16. Six Sisters says:
    February 15, 2013
    It's the "Pin It" button right under the picture.
  17. Six Sisters says:
    February 15, 2013
    I found this information on Google. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Convert the Crock-Pot cooking time for low settings. If a dish requires cooking in a Crock-Pot on the low setting for 4 to 8 hours, it will usually only require 30 to 45 minutes in the regular oven. For items that take 6 to 10 hours in the Crock-Pot on the low setting, plan on cooking in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes.

    Not sure how accurate this is. Be sure to keep an eye on it.

  18. Pamela Jones says:
    February 15, 2013
    LOL!! Thank you
  19. Ben says:
    February 18, 2013
    Hi Sixsisters,
    Thank you sooo much for the recipe! I'll definitely spread the word!
    Thank you again,
    Ben
  20. Patricia Vargas says:
    April 9, 2013
    I wanted to make this today but realized my soy sauce isn't low sodium. :( will it make a difference if I use that or should I wait until I get low sodium? It looks delicious!
  21. Six Sisters says:
    April 10, 2013
    It won't make a difference at all. We were just trying to use a little healthier version of soy sauce. :)
  22. NoNoNannette says:
    June 28, 2013
    Where is the BOURBON. No Bourbon, Is this like Kahlua Pork, No Kahlua :~)
  23. Cyd says:
    July 1, 2013
    No Bourbon and no Kahlua. And it is so delicious!
  24. Amanda says:
    July 10, 2013
    Made this yesterday and it was yummy! The whole family enjoyed it (kids 1 ,5 and 10!) This recipe is a keeper!
  25. Andrew Kraus says:
    July 31, 2013
    My wife made this tonight. Started off great. Well written, solid method, tasted during cooking and was pleased. Then the wife added the required amount of corn starch. A 1/4 cup!?!? Totally ruined it. Dish ended up tasting like someone put soap in it. That much corn starch can thicken a gallon of sausage gravy. The best thing would be to leave out the corn starch and let the sauce reduce and thicken naturally.
  26. Joy says:
    August 6, 2013
    When a friend recommended this recipe I was wondering what I could replace the Bourbon with.....glad I don't have to worry about that :)
  27. Nolaleblanc says:
    September 9, 2013
    I'm with him on the corn starch. It's way too much. I went back and double checked the recipe to make sure I didn't leave anything out. I didn't. My gut told me not to use all that corn starch. I wish I listened to my gut.
  28. Jennifer says:
    February 14, 2014
    I know this is a late reply but... we actually make the exact recipe on the stove top! Saute cubed chicken until done, then pour in the sauce (everything minus the cornstarch). Cook for 20 min or so. Then add cornstarch to thicken and eat over rice.
  29. Pam Sanderson says:
    March 20, 2014
    Lol! No bourbon Saw the explanation...a lot could have been avoided by adding the word street after bourbon. I added bourbon anyway! Think outsidethe box
  30. joan Cooke says:
    March 20, 2014
    Shouldn't be called bourbon chicken if there's no burbon in it!!!!!!
  31. joan cooke says:
    March 20, 2014
    Didn't see the explanation either. Should put it with the recipe so it's not confusing. Thanks
  32. Sandy Steward says:
    March 30, 2014
    Not trying to change a family favorite, but maybe it should be titled "Bourbon Street Chicken" instead to avoid people wondering, "where is the Bourbon?" Can't wait to try this!
  33. Jill says:
    May 20, 2014
    Who cares what it's called?? It's delicious! Thanks- my family really enjoyed this!
  34. Sharon Nunn says:
    May 23, 2014
    I don't personally drink it, but I guess if you want the bourbon, you could drink it while you enjoy your meal. :)
  35. Julia says:
    June 1, 2014
    Is it okay to use frozen chicken for this?
  36. Cyd says:
    June 2, 2014
    It should be fine with frozen chicken breasts.
  37. Jackie says:
    September 13, 2014
    I bought a large bottle of bourbon for a recipe last Thanksgiving and it hasn't been touched since. I'm adding a splash of bourbon.
  38. Virginie Léveillé says:
    January 8, 2016
    Excellent !
  39. K says:
    April 3, 2016
    Im sitting here giggling away at everyone who is mad at the name of the dish. And the lack of bourbon. This is a well known dish. And popular at chinese restaurants. Its from a chinese chef working on Bourbon street who came up with the dish. Its not like the authors of this blog just randomly created and then poorly named this dish to try and confuse people lol. They were just recreating a very well known dish! Which never has bourbon in it ;) :)
  40. Carole says:
    April 26, 2020
    I have no apple juice. Would orange juice work?
  41. Lisa D. says:
    March 11, 2021
    Can I double the sauce or would that be too much
  42. Momma Cyd says:
    March 22, 2021
    We love our sauce, so we agree that you can totally double your sauce.
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