Bourbon Chicken

When I have bell peppers to cook, one of my go-to recipes is this Bourbon Chicken.  It's healthy, filling and tastes amazing.  I love making it around my kids, because you can set the bourbon on fire and put on a good show!  Plus, it's easy and fast and only dirties one pan.

Bourbon Chicken
Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken thighs, legs or breasts
• 3 bell peppers diced.  I use green because they're cheaper.
• 1 jalepeno or fresno pepper minced
• 1 onion diced
• 3 stalks celery diced
• 1/4 cup decent bourbon.  I like Bulliet and Knob Hill.
• 1 tbs corn starch
• 1 tbs flour
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbs paprika
• 1 tbs thyme
• 1 tsp rubbed or ground sage
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• salt and pepper
• vegetable oil

Directions
Combine the paprika, thyme, sage
Pour about half onto a plate, with the flour and 1 tsp salt, and reserve the other half
Dredge the chicken in the spice/flour mix
Heat 1 tbs veggie oil in a medium-hot pan and brown the chicken, both sides
Remove the chicken onto the plate

Add the peppers, onion, celery and another tsp of salt to the pan
Cook until soft
Add water and deglaze the pan.  You can use chicken broth here for extra flavor.

Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the pan
Add the bay leaf and 1/2 cup water and mix thoroughly
Turn on the stove's fan, reduce the flame to medium-low and  add the bourbon.
If you have kids to impress and a good fire extinguisher, you can set it on fire.
If it gets out of hand, dump some flour on it and call for pizza delivery


To make the sauce, combine the corn starch and sugar with 1/4 cup water
Mix thoroughly.  Work out all clumps.
Add it to the pan and return the heat to medium-high
Stir constantly until the sauce thickens.  If it thickens too much, add water.  Be careful not to burn it.  The sugar and the corn starch burn easily.

Serve over rice