Whiskey Chicken: Weeknight Meals with Flavor and a Zing

Sometimes food takes you on a nostalgic turn and to me that is one of the most magical things about it. Enter this recipe. If you're a Gen X baby like myself you will remember that free time on the weekend - barring sports - was spent in a mall (I don't think my children even know what a mall is). And, in the mall - once you took a break from shopping all the little knick knacks with your friends - you went to the food court. The food court had a wide array of delicious items that had no nutritional value. But, who cared, when you didn't have to worry about waistlines with that high metabolism of the young. I'll let you guess which food court dish is my inspiration for this recipe! You're welcome lol.

Ingredients:

• 5-6 skinless boneless chicken thighs

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch divided

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 cloves garlic minced

• 1 cup water

• 1/2 cup apple juice

• 1/4 cup whiskey

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 2/3 cup lite soy sauce lower sodium

• 1/3 cup ketchup

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces and in a large bowl toss it with 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch, salt, and pepper.

• Add 2 tablespoons of canola oil into your nonstick skillet on medium high heat and let it heat until adding the first piece of chicken sizzles.

• Add half the chicken pieces and cook for 3 minutes without stirring.

• Turn the chicken pieces and cook and additional three minutes.

• Remove the chicken from the pan.

• Use the remaining oil to cook the second half of the chicken the same way.

• Remove the chicken from the pan.

• Add in the garlic and cook for 20 seconds until you can just smell it.

• Add in the water, apple juice, whiskey, chicken broth, lite soy sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, onion powder, ground ginger and red pepper flakes.

• Bring to a boil then add back in the chicken.

• Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce is reduced by about half.

• Add the remaining tablespoon of cornstarch to a small glass with a tablespoon of water and stir.

• Add into the pan and stir.

• Cook until the sauce is thickened.

• Serve immediately on a bed of steamed white rice