Crock Pot Bourbon Chicken: A Flavor-Packed Slow Cooker Favorite

Crock Pot Bourbon Chicken is sweet, savory, and a little tangy, with chicken thighs slow-cooked in a bourbon brown sugar soy sauce, then thickened into a glossy sauce and served over rice.​

Crock Pot Bourbon Chicken

This dish is commonly linked to Bourbon Street in New Orleans, and slow cooking makes the chicken extra tender while the sauce gets deeply flavored.​
You can make it with bourbon, or swap in apple juice or chicken broth if you want an alcohol-free version.​

Ingredients (classic slow cooker version)

Chicken

• 3 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs​
• Salt and black pepper, to taste​

Sauce

• 1 cup soy sauce​
• 1 cup light brown sugar​
• 1/2 cup bourbon whisky (or substitute apple juice or chicken broth)​
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar​
• 1 tbsp honey​
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger (or use fresh ginger if you prefer)​
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes​
• 4 cloves garlic, minced​

To thicken

• 3 tbsp cornstarch​
• 2 tbsp water​

To finish

• 1/2 cup chopped green onions​
• Cooked white rice, for serving​
• Optional garnish: toasted sesame seeds​

Instructions

Slow cook

1. Add chicken thighs to the slow cooker (trim excess fat if you want a less greasy sauce).​
2. In a bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients (everything except cornstarch, water, and green onions).​
3. Pour sauce over the chicken.​
4. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours, until the chicken is very tender.​

Chop and thicken

1. Remove chicken to a plate and roughly chop (or shred if you want it more like takeout).​
2. Stir cornstarch and water together until dissolved, then whisk it into the sauce in the slow cooker.​
3. Add the chicken back in, cover, and let it come back to a gentle bubble so the sauce thickens.​

Serve

1. Sprinkle with chopped green onions (and sesame seeds if using).​
2. Serve hot over white rice.​

Tips and swaps

Best chicken cut

Chicken thighs stay juicier than breasts in the slow cooker, but you can use chicken breast cut into pieces if you prefer.​

Alcohol-free option

Replace bourbon with apple juice or chicken broth for similar sweetness and depth without alcohol.​

If you want a thicker glaze

Let the sauce simmer a little longer after adding the cornstarch slurry, whisking occasionally, until it coats the back of a spoon.​

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.​
Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.​

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