If you’ve piled bourbon chicken onto your plate at the Golden Corral buffet, you know the pull of that sweet, smoky glaze. This copycat recipe marinates chicken thighs in a homemade teriyaki-based marinade, then sears them and tosses them in a thickened version of that same marinade. The marinade doubles as the sauce, so the chicken gets deep flavor from a short ingredient list, no specialty store required. Marinate the chicken the day before, and dinner comes together in the skillet in well under 30 minutes, a great weeknight or weekend meal.

Add this site as a preferred Google source!

Add

Sweet bourbon sauce chicken served over rice.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

This copycat also goes by Bourbon Street Chicken on the Golden Corral buffet line. It starts with a marinade built on teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar, seasoned with a bourbon-inspired blend of garlic, ginger, and onion powder.

Chicken thighs are the right cut here. Their higher fat-to-meat ratio keeps them tender even when seared over high heat, unlike leaner chicken breast, which can dry out.

Once the chicken is seared, the same marinade it was soaked in becomes the sauce base, boiled for food safety, then thickened with a cornstarch slurry and finished with cold butter for a glossy, silky texture.

What makes Golden Corral Bourbon Chicken the perfect way to cook chicken thighs?

Chicken thighs are a great choice for family meals. They’re inexpensive, tasty, and hard to mess up. But they really shine when you pair them with a great recipe, like this one for Golden Corral Bourbon Street Chicken. The homemade marinade keeps the chicken chunks tender and gives them a sweet, savory, and slightly smoky flavor that tastes just like what they serve at the restaurant.

Prep the chicken the day before, and you can have dinner on the table in mere minutes, making this recipe a great weekend meal.

Ingredients and their roles in this recipe

For the marinade/sauce:

Teriyaki sauce (choose one with soy sauce and sugar as the first two ingredients – the base of the marinade. Gives the chicken its glossy coating.
Regular soy sauce – bumps up the umami flavor.
Dark brown sugar – adds even more sweetness and a slight molasses flavor.
McCormick Grill Mates Brown Sugar Bourbon seasoning – brings a smoky, sweet, bourbon-inspired flavor to the dish.
Garlic powder – contributes the depth of garlic with none of the bitter bit you can get from fresh cloves.
Powdered ginger – deepens the flavor profile and adds a touch of heat.
Onion powder – lends a milder onion taste.

For cooking the chicken:

Chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, cut into 1½-inch pieces – the fat-to-meat ratio means the chicken will stay tender even when cooked over high heat.
Vegetable oil – browns the chicken without adding additional flavor.

For finishing the sauce:

Reserved marinade – serves as the base of the sauce.
Cornstarch – thickens the sauce.
Cold water – mixed with the cornstarch to prevent lumps from forming in the sauce.
Unsalted butter, cold – increases the richness of the finished sauce and gives it a silky mouthfeel.

Chicken, butter, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, and seasonings.

How to make Bourbon Street Chicken

To prepare the marinade for this Golden Corral Bourbon Chicken recipe:

Add all the marinade ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
Whisk well until the dark brown sugar dissolves.

To marinade the chicken:

Add the chicken to the prepared marinade and gently mix to coat all pieces.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 12 to 24 hours. Toss the chicken a couple of times to ensure all sides are fully coated in the marinade.

To cook the chicken:

Remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off any excess over the bowl. Cover the bowl of marinade and put it back in the fridge for later.
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil to the hot skillet.
When the oil is shimmering, add just enough chicken to cover the bottom of the skillet. You may need to work in batches to avoid overloading the pan.
Sear each side of the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes. The chicken pieces need to be browned and cooked through.
Remove the skillet from the heat.

To make the sauce:

In a small saucepan, heat the used marinade until it comes to a boil. The marinade needs to boil for at least five minutes to ensure it is safe to eat.
Lower the heat until the marinade is at a slow simmer.
Whisk the cornstarch and cold water together in a small bowl until there are no lumps.
Pour the cornstarch slurry into the sauce and whisk until it thickens, about two minutes.
Remove the marinade from the heat and stir the cold butter into it.

To finish the Bourbon Street Chicken:

Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken and mix well.
Serve immediately over white rice, mashed potatoes, or grits.

Marinating and serving chicken thigh pieces in brown sugar bourbon sauce.

What to serve this with

This Golden Corral Bourbon Chicken recipe pairs best with simple sides that let the main course shine. Below are three great options to complete your meal.

Outback Steakhouse Steamed Green Beans – These tender-crisp green beans are simple, but delicious. The brown sugar adds a touch of sweetness, and Maggi seasoning rounds out the flavor without needing many other ingredients.

Air Fryer Broccoli – Charred broccoli florets straight from the air fryer are crispy and have just a touch of bitterness that goes wonderfully with the sweetness of the chicken. The seasonings give the broccoli a savory element along with subtle heat.

Golden Corral Rolls – These yeast-risen dinner rolls are soft and buttery, making them the perfect side to soak up any extra sauce. Bring these Golden Corral favorites home with this spot-on copycat recipe.

Chicken with brown sugar bourbon sauce served over white rice.

Storing and reheating instructions

Refrigerator Storage: Let the chicken cool in the sauce, then transfer to an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Reheating Method: Warm the chicken in a skillet over medium-low heat until hot, adding a few tablespoons of water to loosen the sauce. Stir frequently to prevent the chicken from burning.

Freezer Storage: Recommended. Portion the cooled chicken into individual servings in freezer bags and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Brown sugar bourbon sauce chicken thigh pieces served over rice.

Favorite copycat chicken recipes

Check out more of my easy chicken recipes to make for dinner.

Want to Save This Recipe?

Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox.
Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!