What to use as a substitute for alcohol

Dear Lynne, 

I have friends who are recovering alcoholics and we all love to cook and eat. I'm concerned with alcohol not completely cooking off. What can we substitute for it that won't change the quality of the dish?  

–Gerri in St. Paul

Dear Gerri,

You’re right, alcohol doesn't entirely cook away, and substitutions inevitably change a dish. The question is how? Cooking down wine in a recipe opens up, deepens and melds flavors together because flavors are soluble in alcohol.

Tart ingredients spark dishes in a similar way. Cook down a distinctive-tasting vinegar by two-thirds to three-quarters, blend with a good broth and you come close to that depth you find when you reduce wine or alcohol. Boiling it down softens the acidic hit. 

So if the recipe says sauté chicken then make a sauce by cooking down wine with the pan juices, substitute the reduced vinegar and broth. For a suave finish, swirl in a little butter. Try the recipe below for some inspiration.

-Lynne

Garlic-Sherry Chicken with Almonds

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups good-tasting chicken broth (homemade, College Inn or Swanson’s)

• Good-tasting extra virgin olive oil

• 4 (about 1-1/2 pounds) boneless and skinless chicken breasts (organic if possible)

• Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

• 6 large garlic cloves, thin-sliced

• 1 cup Spanish sherry vinegar

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup whole salted almonds, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. In a 12-inch straight-sided sauté pan (preferably not nonstick) boil down the broth until reduced by about two-thirds. Pour into a container and set aside. Wash and dry skillet.

2. Lightly film the pan with the oil. Heat it over medium-high. Slip the chicken into the pan so pieces don’t touch, and sprinkle it with very little salt, but a bit more pepper. Sear quickly on both sides. Lower the heat to medium-low. Cook the pieces uncovered for about 12 minutes. Turn them often. Check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer. When the meat is at 165ºF, remove the chicken to a serving platter and keep it warm. It needs 8 to 10 minutes of rest, which gives you plenty of time to do the pan sauce.

3. Make the pan sauce by adding the garlic and vinegar to the pan. Boil, scraping up any brown bits in the pan, until the vinegar is reduced to almost a syrup. Stir in broth and simmer 2 minutes, or until sauce is rich-tasting. Taste for seasoning. At the last minute stir in the butter until it’s barely melted. Pour the sauce over the chicken, topping it with almonds. Serve hot with rice and steamed green beans.