Best Bourbon Chicken

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup water

1 cup packed light brown sugar

¾ cup apple-grape-cherry juice

⅔ cup soy sauce

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup peach-flavored bourbon liqueur (such as Southern Comfort ®)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ cup apple-grape-cherry juice

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Heat the oil in a large heavy pan or Dutch oven, and brown the chicken pieces until lightly golden on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl.

In the same dutch oven, whisk the water, brown sugar, 3/4 cup of fruit juice cocktail, soy sauce, ketchup, bourbon liqueur, apple cider vinegar, garlic, dried onion, red pepper flakes, and ground ginger into the Dutch oven. Bring the sauce to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Stir the chicken back into the sauce, and bring to a full boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the sauce is reduced and thickened and the chicken pieces are no longer pink in the middle, about 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken pieces to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Stir together 1/4 cup of fruit juice cocktail with the cornstarch until smooth, and whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauce, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Bring the sauce back to a simmer, let thicken for about 1 minute, and return the chicken pieces to the sauce. Stir to combine, and serve.