Trim any fat off of the chicken and cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces.
In a medium bowl, mix together 4 tablespoons of the corn starch with the salt and pepper; add the chicken and toss well to completely coat.
In a large skillet or pot, heat half the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add half of the chicken pieces and cook on one side without stirring for 3 minutes. Turn each piece of chicken and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and set aside. Add the remaining half of the oil to the skillet, then add the remaining pieces of uncooked chicken. Cook the chicken on one side without stirring for 3 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
Add the minced garlic to the skillet and sauté for 20-30 seconds until fragrant. To the skillet add the water, soy sauce, apple juice, chicken broth, ketchup, bourbon, vinegar, brown sugar, ground ginger, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce the heat to low and add the chicken to the sauce. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce is reduced by half.
Optional: Make a slurry to thicken the sauce by mixing the remaining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1-2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl, then adding to the sauce and stirring to thicken.
Serve the bourbon chicken hot over steamed rice.
Notes
To reduce sodium, use low sodium soy sauce and low sodium chicken broth.If you'd rather not use bourbon, you can replace it with additional apple juice.Store covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.