Instant Pot Bourbon Chicken is rich and tasty Cajun-inspired dish that combines bourbon with soy sauce, ketchup, and a few other ingredients to make tender pieces of chicken in a sweet and savory sauce.
This dish is said to be named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, or perhaps owing to the Kentucky Bourbon used in the recipe. We may never know the real origin or reason for the name, but none of that matters once you’ve scooped a spoonful of this tasty chicken into your mouth.
Why You’ll Love it
- This is a great Instant Pot dump recipe, because you can put all the ingredients in the pot and let it cook, without needing to do anything else. You can even cook the rice at the same time in the Instant Pot with the Pot-in-Pot cooking method.
- The rich and savory sauce of this bourbon chicken tastes as if it cooks all day when in reality it takes under 30 minutes.
- The Instant Pot works its magic, transforming ordinary chicken into tender, melt-in-your-mouth perfection.
- Served over rice, this is an easy weeknight meal that will be a hit at the dinner table.
Leila says: 
This recipe has been an exceptional recipe for me. Those who haven’t tried the recipe should try it now.
Heather Perine says: Loved this dish. so quick to make..and the sauce with the chicken is to die for!
» You might also like this Chicken & Broccoli.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Instant Pot Bourbon Chicken
- Chicken breast or thigh – Use boneless skinless chicken for this dish. Using chicken thighs yields the best texture and flavor, but chicken breast is more lean. It’s really up to you.
- Bourbon – Use any Bourbon you like, or whiskey in a pinch. I don’t recommend leaving it out because it’s the highlight ingredient in this dish, but if you do, replace it with chicken broth. Don’t be put off by the bourbon, if you’re not much into whiskey. It’s used to add richness of flavor to the sauce and any alcohol burns off in the cooking, so you won’t get a strong alcohol flavor in this dish.
- Soy sauce – It’s best to use low sodium soy sauce to avoid over salting the dish. If you do use full sodium, you might want to skip adding additional salt until you can taste it at the end.
- Brown sugar – For a lower carb/sugar alternative, use a brown sugar substitute.
- Ketchup
- Apple cider vinegar
- Chicken bouillon cube
- Water
- Garlic – Adding garlic gives this dish a delicious aroma that makes the sauce absolutely addicting.
- Ginger – Use fresh or dried ginger.
- Cornstarch & water – This is the main thickening agent that makes the sauce go from watery to thick, glossy, and luxurious.
- Salt and pepper – To taste
- Rice – You can make basmati rice or jasmine rice in the Instant Pot.
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, we use the 6-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus, but you can use any electric pressure cooker.
- Instant Pot – I use a 6-quart Instant Pot Plus to make all of my recipes. If you’re using an 8-quart pot, you will need to adjust the amount of liquid accordingly, as it requires more than the 6 quart to build steam.
Helpful Tips
- This makes quite a bit of sauce, but it can be doubled if you want more.
- You can double or triple the recipe, to make as much as you need. You’ll want to double all of the ingredients so there’s enough sauce for each serving.
- You can add any whiskey you like, it doesn’t have to be Bourbon.
- For a lower carb version, use brown sugar substitute, no sugar added ketchup, and serve over cauliflower rice.
How to Make Bourbon Chicken
Step One: Prep Chicken and Add Ingredients
Add the raw cubed chicken pieces and all ingredients through the black pepper into the inner pot. That’s everything except the corn starch and water, which will be used to thicken the sauce at the end.
Stir it all up, so the flavors are well blended.
Cooking Note: If you want to cook the rice at the same time, place a trivet over the chicken ingredients and place a bowl with the rice and water on top of the trivet.
Step Two: Pressure Cook
Lock the lid and set the valve to sealing. Press the Pressure Cook button and set the timer to 3 minutes. Yes, that’s all the time it needs. Seems not enough, but it is. The chicken is cubed in small pieces, so they don’t need much time to get cooked through.
When the cook time is over, you can allow it to release pressure naturally for 5 minutes, then do a quick release of the remaining pressure. I don’t recommend leaving it any longer than that, or the chicken might become over cooked.
Step Three: Thickening the Sauce
When the time is up, remove the chicken from the Instant Pot, so all you have in the inner pot is the sauce. It won’t be very thick at this point, so you’ll need to thicken it up with the cornstarch.
Press the Saute mode on the Instant Pot. While it’s getting hot, mix the cornstarch slurry.
Mix the cornstarch and water in a bowl, then pour it into the pot with the bourbon chicken. Stir it well and boil it until the sauce thickens, which takes about 3-5 minutes. If you want the sauce extra thick, add more cornstarch.
Step Four: Add Chicken and Serve
When the sauce is thickened, add the chicken back to the pot and stir it to warm the chicken and coat each piece. Serve the bourbon chicken over rice.
Cooking Rice at the Same Time
If you’re cooking rice in the Instant Pot at the same time, you will need a glass, ceramic, or stainless steel pot that fits inside the Instant Pot and can hold the amount of rice you’re cooking. I usually cook 1 cup of Jasmine rice with 1 cup of water.
Add the rice and water to your dish. Put the trivet or metal stand over the top of the chicken. Set the dish of rice on top of the trivet. It also can be cooked for just 3 minutes, so it’s a perfect combo.
What Side Dishes To Serve With It
You can serve this dish with any side dish you like. That’s the best part – they go with everything.
Try serving them with these sides that you can also make in the Instant Pot:
How to Store and Reheat
To Store
If you are serving this with rice we recommend storing the rice and chicken in two separate containers. Place the leftovers into an airtight container or a resealable freezer bag. Place the container or bag in the refrigerator 2-3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
To Reheat
To enjoy the leftovers, simply reheat them until they are warmed through. This can be done by using a microwave or reheating on the stove in a saucepan.
Questions About the Recipe
Does bourbon chicken contain alcohol?
While you do put bourbon into the chicken dish, the alcohol from the bourbon evaporates completely while cooking. It is safe for children to eat.
If you don’t like Bourbon or don’t want to add it for any reason, replace it with apple juice or chicken broth. These substitutions will change the flavor, so it won’t be exactly like a classic Bourbon Chicken, but it’ll be delicious any ways.
Why does my chicken come out tough from the Instant Pot?
Cooking chicken in the Instant Pot can be a bit of a challenge. If you don’t cook it long enough, it has a weird rubbery texture, and if you cook it too long it can be scorched. We try and use chicken thighs whenever possible. Because of the higher fat content, they tend to be more moist.
Do you need to brown the chicken before cooking?
No, not for this recipe. This recipe is so great for weeknight dinners when time is short. You dump everything in and cook it. So easy!
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Instant Pot Bourbon Chicken
Note: Made in a 6-qt Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (907 g) boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh diced
- 1/4 cup (59 ml) bourbon
- 1/4 cup (59 ml) soy sauce low sodium
- 1/4 cup (59 ml) water
- 1/4 cup (59 ml) ketchup
- 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tablespoon (4 g) ginger grated
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) black pepper
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water
- 2 cups (316 g) cooked rice
Instructions
- Add the chicken and all ingredients through the black pepper to the pot. Stir. Lock the lid and set the valve to sealing. Press pressure cook and set the time to 3 minutes. When the cook time is up, allow a 5 minute natural pressure release, then manually release remaining pressure.
- Remove the chicken from the pot, leaving behind the sauce. Press the Saute mode on the Instant Pot and bring the sauce to a boil.
- Mix the cornstarch and water in a bowl. Pour it into the pot. Stir well and boil until the sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken back to the pot and stir to coat the pieces.
- Serve over rice.
Notes
- This makes quite a bit of sauce, but it can be doubled if you want more.
- You can add any whiskey you like. It doesn’t have to be Bourbon.
- For a lower carb version, use brown sugar substitute, no sugar added ketchup, and serve over cauliflower rice.
Nutrition
Laura is a passionate home cook and the owner of A Pressure Cooker Kitchen. She is dedicated to helping people create delicious Instant Pot meals with ease. Laura is an expert at developing recipes that can be prepared quickly and easily using a pressure cooker.
This is such a comforting filling meal, with a perfect balance of sweet and savoury flavours.
I love a simple instant pot recipe, and this one is tasty too! A great weeknight meal!
all my gosh! this has been an amazing dish. easy on a Sunday afternoon
Loved this dish. so quick to make..and the sauce with the chicken is to die for!
So glad you enjoyed it.
Love having another option for a delicious and fast Instant Pot chicken dinner like this! It was fantastic!
A great chicken dish to make in an instant pot! You can’t go wrong with a savory sauce spiked with bourbon!
Changing the brown sugar with maple sirop should work or would change the flavor too much?
It would work fine to change to maple syrup, but it will definitely change the flavor. I think it would still be good. But I haven’t tried it.
I doubled the sauce and it really didn’t taste good, and smelled terrible while cooking. I suspect this would be better if the chicken was browned first, and if doubling, cut the bourbon back to the original amount.
Sorry you didn’t like it Dale. I love the smell of this cooking. With bourbon and brown sugar, I’m not sure how it can smell terrible.
This is a quick and easy recipe that really made a great hit at home. We are already planning to repeat it. I think the balance of flavors is just right and the smell was wonderful for my husband as he walked in the door. I would not brown the chicken because overcooking will make it dry and mealy. This was just the right amount. of cooking. It is a very sophisticated dish.
Hi John, glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of our favorites as well.
This recipe has been an exceptional recipe for me. Those who haven’t tried the recipe should try it now.
Thanks Leila!
can I double the chicken amount? should I double the rest as well?
You can double or triple this recipe, as needed. You would want to double everything, so there’s enough sauce for all of it.
Tried it and followed the directions to a ‘T’. Wasn’t very good :-\
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it. Everything has different tastes.
We enjoyed it. Didn’t add the salt. Didn’t need it with the soy and bouillon. Served with brown rice and fresh asparagus.
I typically use low-sodium soy, so the salt is necessary, but it’s easy enough to adjust to your own taste. Glad you liked it.
This is terrific! I love these simple but delicious instant pot meals! They have been really good when I work w/my church’s meal ministry. We provide food for members during illness, bereavement, new babies, etc. In fact, I have become the director’s “go-to” person in a pinch bc I can get a good meal ready on short notice. This recipe will definitely be used again, but I will imagine I will get a few funny looks when I tell church members I bringing over “burbon” chicken. LOL
So happy to hear that it worked so well for you. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story!
My family can’t get enough of this Instant Pot Bourbon Chicken!
Happy to hear it!
It’s incredibly easy to make, and with rice on the side it is the perfect dinner!
Could I double this recipe?
Absolutely! Just use the same recipe with all ingredients doubled.
I opted for boneless skinless chicken thighs, since that was what I had at home, and the result was outstanding! The flavor of the sauce were great. A definite winner!
We love to cook with boneless skinless chicken thighs too.
Easy to follow recipe. My husband loved it.
The flavors are absolutely amazing and the convenience of using the instant pot makes it so easy
So glad you liked it Jeannine!
The chicken turns out so tender and infused with that delicious bourbon sauce.
So glad you like it!
I can’t believe how easy and delicious this instant pot bourbon chicken is!
The combination of the rich bourbon sauce with the perfectly cooked chicken is so good
The depth of flavor in the sauce is incredible – you can really taste the bourbon and the blend of spices.
is there’s a non-alcoholic substitute for the bourbon?
Craig, you can substitute chicken broth for the bourbon. It is going to alter the flavor of the dish though.
It’ll be a little different, but you can use apple juice. I don’t personally find that strong enough, so I use 1tsp vanilla extract (you can use the cheap, non alcoholic stuff) per 2tbsp of bourbon. So for this recipe, 2tsp. It’s still different, but it has that strength of flavour I’m looking for.
is this dish on the spicier side, or is it more mild?
It’s not spicy at all. If you don’t like spice you could leave the black pepper out.
I’m a vegetarian, so I tried this instant pot tofu version of the bourbon chicken recipe, and it was phenomenal!
So happy to hear that it worked well with tofu. Thanks for sharing your results.
Thank you for sharing this! Great alternative.
Has anyone noticed that those that commented they didn’t like this chicken recipe or said it didn’t turn out well we’re all men!!! They probably missed an ingredient or something!
Haha, I didn’t notice that until you pointed it out. I can’t understand not liking it, so you might be right!
Doubled the recipe as I am making it for several adults and children. I used Evan Williams honey bourbon and served over rice with broccoli. It was delicious! I’m glad I doubled it because we do have some left overs. Bourbon chicken is one of my favorites all time and now I know how simple it is, it’s going to be a regular rotation at our house.
So happy to hear it Jennifer!
I’ve been using this recipe for a long while it is amazing everyone loves it
That is great to hear Josh! Thanks for letting us know.