Not pictured: Soy Sauce

For a long while, I had the hardest time trying to figure out what type of Cajun Cuisine I wanted to cook. Most of what I found involved some sort of pasta and gumbo, but I wanted to try something I had never heard of or tried before. I searched all over the internet, traveling to different food websites, but nothing peaked my interest. This is when I turned my attention to social media, Pinterest to be more specific. I made an account and selected some “favorite” interests then searched “Cajun cuisine.”

As I searched through the options and saved several different recipes that were interesting when one finally caught my eye. New Orleans Style Bourbon Chicken. I realized that this was the dish I wanted to make. The ingredients are as follows: 

Meat

1 cut into bite-size pieces 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, boneless skinless

Produce

5 cloves Garlic

1 1/2 tbsp Ginger

1 Onion, small

Canned Goods

3/4 cup Chicken broth

Condiments

1/4 cup Ketchup

2/3 cup Soy sauce

Baking & Spices

1 cup Brown sugar, packed

2 tbsp Cornstarch

3/4 tsp Red pepper flakes

Oils & Vinegar

2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp Olive oil

Drinks

1/4 cup Apple juice

Liquids

1 cup Water

Other

1/4 cup Jack Daniels or southern comfort

 

I purchased my ingredients at Fresh Market.

My decision to make this dish was an easy one. I had never had this type of dish before so I was eager to try something new. The photo on Pinterest made the dish look absolutely delicious. I enjoy trying new things, especially food, so I went out and purchased all the ingredients needed to make the meal.

The next day after my classes ended was when I started prepping for the meal. I had never attempted an intricate recipe before, so this was something new to me. I began by slicing the chicken into bite-sized pieces and did my best to mince the onions. The fumes from the onions began to make my eyes water. My roommate began messing with me by asking me if I was going to start crying. I simply ignored him as he continued to nag me on. After mincing the garlic, I began heating oil in a deep pan. Once heated, I poured the chicken into the pan and let cook for about ten minutes on medium/ medium-high heat.

 

After cooking the chicken mid-way through I moved the meat to a plate then mixed in the water, chicken broth, garlic, onion, ginger, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, apple cider vinegar, and Jack Daniels Whiskey. The name of the recipe is called Bourbon Chicken and obviously, Jack Daniels is not bourbon. After reading through the comments on Pinterest I found that a lot of people mentioned that Jack Daniels tasted better.

After stirring all these ingredients, and bringing the sauce to a boil on high heat, I added the chicken back to the pan with any extra juices accumulated onto the plate, turned the heat down to medium-low, brought the sauce to a simmer and let cook for about twenty minutes to let the sauce thicken and let the chicken cook all the way through.

Once the chicken is all the way through and the sauce has thickened slightly, in a separate bowl add the cornstarch and the apple juice and mix them in the bowl. Add this to the pan then bring to a boil for one minute. The apple juice and cornstarch should help thicken the sauce. If the sauce does not thicken to your liking then you can add flower to the mix and stir.

While I cooked the Bourbon Chicken, I prepared some rice to be served with the dish. I decided to serve the Bourbon Chicken on top of the rice so to soak up the sauce so it would not puddle on the plate.

I had successfully prepared the dish of my choosing. I made a plate for my roommate and I and we sat down to watch television as we ate. It was wonderful. The red pepper flakes added a small taste of spiciness while the sauce itself was sweet to the tongue. I could even taste the whiskey flavor within the sauce. Honestly, I did not get the sauce to thicken how I wanted it to, but either way, it tasted wonderful and I nearly swooned once with each bite I took. My roommate was sure to tell me how great it was. He even savored the taste. He was sad to hear that I had put the leftovers in the fridge when he was ready for seconds.

Not only was this dish great, but I had a great time making it as well. I had never made anything exquisite that had several steps involved, so this was a triumph for me. I am not afraid to say that my first attempt at New Orleans Style Bourbon Chicken was a success in its making and in my stomach