Easy Bourbon Chicken On The Griddle

What is “bourbon chicken” in American food?

Bourbon chicken is an American sweet-soy-glazed chicken dish, named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans, not the liquor (though some recipes add a splash). The dish is a Cajun-Chinese fusion that took off at American mall food courts in the 1980s and 1990s, where chains like Cajun Grill and Manchu Wok served it over rice. From there it moved into home kitchens, especially in Black Southern households, where it’s cooked on a flat-top griddle with sesame seeds and scallions on top.

In this clip, the cook walks through her version: “On today’s episode of I Ain’t No Chef, but we gonna eat, let’s make some bourbon chicken.”