Cooking with Chef Jo: Canning Bourbon Chicken

It's really hard being half Asian, who grew up with tons of Asian foods, and living with a roommate who really doesn't like Asian food. Well, to be honest she likes egg rolls, lo mein, my pot stickers, and my bourbon chicken. The last two I tried out on her and she liked them. I'll serve Chinese food once or twice a month although I could eat it everyday. It's all about compromises when you live with someone else. But I still get my Asian food in my diet without cooking two meals for one dinner which I occasional do.

I'll can up my bourbon chicken into pint jars and keep it in my food storage building for quick dinner nights. All I have to do is cook two cups of rice, steam some broccoli or asparagus, and dinner's on. I make a 12-pint jar (2 servings per jar) recipe for year's worth, so I cook once and serve many times. If you want less divide ingredients by whatever number of serving you want. Have a large family, double or triple this recipe for canning in quart jars.

Chef Jo's Bourbon Chicken
12 Pint jars or 24 servings

Did you know...
This is not a true Asian dish, but a Cajun/Asian hybrid dish. It's just sold in Chinese restaurants. Make it with or without the Bourbon, it's delicious both ways.

What you'll need

12lbs lbs. boneless chicken breast or thighs
1 1/2 cups apple or pineapple juice, I use pineapple
2 cups low sodium soy sauce 1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar 2 1/4 - 3 cups chicken stock 3/4 cup bourbon* (optional), if omitting use
1 cup chicken broth 2 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed* 3 tsp red pepper flakes 2" grated ginger or 3 tsp ground ginger 1/2 cup onion, minced, or 2 tsp each of onion powder
2 TBS minced garlic, or 2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup Clear-Jel

Notes-*If using bourbon in this recipe, buy a good quality bourbon...not the cheapest. I only use a bourbon aged no less than 10 years for cooking. It's pricey but I use so little of it at a time. In the US, it Woodford Reserve Straight Bourbon about $40 a bottle.
* We like our bourbon chicken not as sweet as the restaurant's, so I reduced the brown sugar by half. If you like the restaurant version double this amount.

Putting it all together

• Grill chicken thigh/breast over hot coals to color and get grill marks on the chicken. You are NOT cooking the chicken fully. Total cooking time is 5 minutes each side.
• Remove chicken and cut into bite sized pieces, about 1"-1 1/2" pieces.
• Mix Clear-Jel and chicken broth.
• In a sauce pan, pour pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce vinegar, ginger, onions, garlic, bourbon, and ketchup heat until it comes to a boil. 
• Cook 10 minutes at a simmer.
• Stir in chicken broth mix and bring to a boil again stirring constantly.
• Stir in the chicken pieces and whatever juices drain off the chicken. Turn off the heat.
• Ladle into hot pint jars.
• Wipe rims, lid, and ring the jars.
• Pressure can 75 minutes for pints or 90 minutes for quarts. Pressure based on your altitude.
• The sauce will continue to thicken as it cans and cools

Serving suggestions- Serve over a bowl or plate of cooked rice with your choice of vegetables. I'll steam broccoli or asparagus, or make terriyaki stir fried onions and zucchini. Are you still using bottled terriyaki sauce? What?! 😲Let me give you my recipe for that too while I'm thinking about it. It's very simple and if you make making this...you already have the ingredients on hand.

Terriyaki Marinade/Sauce
Makes 1 cup

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 TBS rice wine vinegar
1 TBS brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp garlic minced
1 1/2 tsp ginger, minced

For glaze or sauce
1/2 TBS cornstarch/clear-Jel
1 TBS water

Put ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil stirring until all sugar are dissolved. Set aside and allow to cool for marinade. If making a glaze or sauce, Stir water into cornstarch. When all the sugars are dissolved, stir in the slurry and cook to desired thickness. You really like terriyaki sauce and want to can it? You can make however many cups you want and water bath can it. Use the Clear-Jel instead of cornstarch. 1/2 pints jars for 25 minutes, pints for 30 minutes, and quarts for 45 minutes. There' enough sugar, salt, and vinegar to water bath can it.

I make mine with bourbon chicken with bourbon, because of the flavor bourbon gives to the dish. The alcohol burns off during cooking and canning. I also grill my chicken for the slight smoky flavor it gives this main dish. I also raised the amount of pepper flakes to offset the overall sweetness of it. All these changes elevates this chicken recipe to the next level to bump it up a notch or two. They do not use bourbon, nor grill the chicken is the restaurant version. I know because I've worked in several Chinese restaurants over the years. Y'all enjoy!

Y'all have a blessed day!

Chef Jo