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Crock Pot Bourbon Chicken

Crockpot bourbon chicken with slow-cooked chicken thighs in a thick, caramelized bourbon-soy sauce made entirely in the slow cooker. Tender, sticky restaurant-style sauce coats every bite—then thicken it with a quick cornstarch slurry and serve over rice.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 1.5 lb boneless chicken thighs
Bourbon-soy sauce
  • 0.25 cup bourbon
  • 0.25 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 4 garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
Thickener
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water
To serve
  • 1 steamed rice
  • 1 green onions
  • 1 sesame seeds

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Mix the bourbon-soy sauce
  1. Whisk bourbon, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes until the sugar dissolves.
Slow-cook the chicken
  1. Place the chicken thighs in the slow cooker and pour the sauce over top so the meat is coated.
  2. Cook on Low for 4 hours (or High for 2 hours) until the chicken is very tender.
Shred and thicken the sauce
  1. Remove the chicken and shred or slice it, then return it aside while you thicken the sauce.
  2. Whisk cornstarch and water into the slow cooker, then turn to High and cook for 15-20 minutes until the sauce thickens and looks glossy.
  3. Return the chicken to the thickened sauce and stir to coat thoroughly.
Serve
  1. Serve over steamed rice, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.

Notes

For the stickiest sauce, keep the slow cooker lid on during the Low/High cook and avoid stirring until you’re ready to thicken. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 4 days; reheat gently until hot. Freeze leftovers up to 2 months (sauce may thicken further on thaw—add a splash of water if needed). For a lighter option, use skinless chicken thighs and reduce the brown sugar to 2 tablespoons while keeping the rest the same.