Bourbon Chicken my way

Fun fact:  Bourbon Chicken is named for Bourbon Street.  I found out when The Girl asked me to find a way to use up the bottle of bourbon we had before the last time we moved.  I also found out that when you search the internet for Bourbon chicken recipes, most of them don't involve any bourbon.  I kept searching until I found one that did.  (I also made some bourbon chocolate chip cookies that day, and sampled the product before finishing either, thus saving us from packing that bottle when we moved.  I'm a hero!)

The first time I made it, I actually worked from a hodge-podge of a couple different recipes, and it's evolved a little since then.  What follows is unique enough from the source material(s) that I feel comfortable calling it:

Ryan's Bourbon Chicken
About 2 lbs cut-up chicken
1 t ground ginger
1/2 C soy sauce
2 T dried minced onion
1/2 C packed brown sugar
3/8 C bourbon
1/2 t garlic powder (or one clove garlic, finely minced)
10 oz package frozen broccoli
1 C cashews

Combine ginger, minced onion, brown sugar, and garlic powder in a bowl.

Add soy sauce and bourbon.  Mix well.  Add cut-up chicken, turning to coat, and marinate in the fridge for a couple hours.

Always make sure you are using quality ingredients.  Re-check as needed.

This is a good time to check your bourbon for quality, freshness, whatever bourbon is supposed to have.  I just know I drink a little every time I make it because I can't think of a good reason not to.

About 30 minutes before dinner, pour the chicken and marinade into a large skillet over medium-low heat and stir occasionally until chicken is cooked.

When the chicken is cooked, add the broccoli.  Stir it in well so it gets heat from all sides.  It needs to thaw and cook, but as long as there is sauce in the pan, the chicken won't get dry--but the broccoli can get mushy if it cooks too long.  Keep an eye on it.  Sample a couple pieces if you want.  It's a vegetable--that means it's healthy (even if it's swimming in booze and sugar).

When the broccoli is ready, stir in the cashews and let them simmer a minute or two--you really just want to get them in there.  They don't have to cook, but it's good to get them coated in the sauce.

Serve over rice.  This one's a winner.