Best Bourbon Chicken

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. 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. 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. 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.

Tips

You can use any fruit juice you like, but I found that the apple-grape-cherry juice I make from concentrate adds great flavor to the dish.