Chicken Marsala is a classic Italian dish made by sautéing chicken cutlets in a sauce of Marsala wine and mushrooms. The sweet Marsala wine is key to giving this dish its signature flavor. So an obvious question one might have is: does the alcohol cook out of the Marsala wine when making Chicken Marsala? Let’s take a closer look at whether there is any alcohol left in this popular chicken dish.
What is Marsala wine?
Marsala wine originated in Sicily and is a fortified wine similar to Port, Sherry, and Madeira. It is made from a blend of white grapes, either alone or with red grapes added. The most common Marsala wines used in cooking are the amber-gold colored Marsala Fine or Marsala Superiore, which has a rich, sweet flavor.
The key thing that makes Marsala a fortified wine is that it has additional alcohol added to it. This bumps the alcohol content up to around 17- 20% ABV (alcohol by volume). In comparison, regular table wines are around 11-15% ABV.
The extra alcohol acts as a preservative, preventing oxidation and allowing Marsala to be stored for extended periods. This is what gives Marsala its characteristic nutty, oxidized flavor. The prolonged aging is also why Marsala has a complex, intense flavor that stands up well to cooking.
Does the alcohol cook out of Marsala wine?
When wine or any other alcoholic beverage is heated, some percentage of the alcohol will evaporate out. However, not all of the alcohol cooks off or burns away.
The exact amount left depends on:
- How long the dish is cooked for
- The cooking temperature
- How much surface area is exposed to heat and air flow
- The alcohol percentage of the original beverage
Studies show that even after prolonged cooking times, a significant amount of alcohol can remain in a dish.
For example, research has found that after 2.5 hours of cooking with wine, 25% of the alcohol still remained. After 1 hour of baking or simmering, 40% of the alcohol typically remains.
With a quick-cooking dish like Chicken Marsala, which only cooks for about 15 minutes, likely at least 50-60% of the original alcohol content will remain.
Factors that affect retention of alcohol in Marsala Chicken recipes
There are a few specific factors at play that determine how much alcohol stays in a Chicken Marsala dish:
Method of cooking
Chicken Marsala is cooked on the stovetop, usually for a relatively short amount of time. The chicken cutlets are quickly seared and then finished cooking in the sauce for no more than 15 minutes typically.
This high heat but fast cooking time means most of the alcohol will remain. The alcohol doesn’t have enough time to fully evaporate.
On the other hand, alcohol retention would be lower for very slow, gentle cooking methods that allow time for the alcohol to cook off. For example, Marsala wine chicken braised for an hour or more.
Quantity of Marsala wine
The more Marsala wine used in the dish, the more alcohol will remain in the finished chicken.
A standard Chicken Marsala recipe calls for about 1/2 cup Marsala wine for 4 servings. If a recipe doubled the wine to a full cup per 4 servings, more alcohol would be retained.
Type of Marsala wine
As explained earlier, Marsala wine can range in alcohol percentage from about 17-20% ABV. The higher the alcohol content of the particular Marsala used, the more alcohol will remain after cooking.
Other liquids in recipe
Some Chicken Marsala recipes add in a small amount of chicken broth or water. The extra liquid would dilute the wine slightly and lower the total alcohol concentration.
Recipes with proportionately more wine than broth or water would retain a higher alcohol percentage.
Cooking temperature
The hotter the temperature and more vigorous the boiling, the faster alcohol will cook off.
Recipes that have the chicken browning at a high sear temperature followed by a steady simmer would retain less alcohol than cooking at a lower temp the whole time.
Exposed surface area
The more the wine is exposed to heat and air as it cooks, the more the alcohol will evaporate.
Shallow, wide pans would allow more evaporation than a deeper, narrow pan. Recipes finished in the oven rather than on the stove also promote less evaporation.
How much alcohol is left in Chicken Marsala?
Given all the influencing factors, it’s impossible to give an exact amount of alcohol remaining in a particular Chicken Marsala recipe. However, we can estimate:
For a standard Chicken Marsala recipe, likely **40-60% of the alcohol from the Marsala wine remains after cooking.**
Given that Marsala wine contains roughly 18-20% alcohol, and using 1/2 cup per 4 servings, here is an estimate:
* 1/2 cup Marsala wine contains about 1 1⁄2 oz alcohol originally
* After cooking, approximately 0.6 oz to 0.9 oz alcohol remains per serving
* equals about 18% to 27% of the alcohol remains
This is comparable to the amount of alcohol in one 5 oz glass of wine – about 0.6 oz of pure alcohol typically.
So each serving of Chicken Marsala likely contains the equivalent alcohol to a glass of wine.
Does the remaining alcohol get you drunk?
Now that we know around half the alcohol remains, a logical question is, can the alcohol in the dish get you intoxicated?
The short answer is no – the amount of alcohol remaining in one serving of Chicken Marsala is negligible.
To feel impairment from alcohol, BAC (blood alcohol concentration) needs to reach at least 0.05%. For context, at 0.08% BAC, most states consider a person legally impaired for driving.
For a 130 lb woman to reach even 0.05% BAC, she would need to consume nearly 5 glasses of wine very quickly and on an empty stomach.
Given a single serving of Chicken Marsala only provides the equivalent of 1 glass of wine, spread out over an entire meal, it would provide little to no effects.
A person would need to eat an extremely large portion of Chicken Marsala – likely over 4 servings – to potentially have any mild signs of intoxication. And that would also depend on their weight, gender, and other factors.
So while there may be a bit of alcohol present, the amount is negligible in normal portion sizes of this dish. The residual alcohol adds flavor complexity but does not provide a “buzz” or intoxication.
Should you cook the alcohol out more for kids or those avoiding alcohol?
For children, those avoiding alcohol for religious or health reasons, and anyone wanting to fully remove the alcohol, the Chicken Marsala can be modified.
To remove more alcohol from the dish:
- Use a lower alcohol Marsala wine if possible – search for a cooking Marsala with 14% ABV or lower
- Reduce the wine to 1/4 cup per 4 servings
- Cook the sauce for 5-10 minutes before adding chicken to further reduce the alcohol concentration
- Cook over low heat rather than high heat, allowing more evaporation over time
- Use a wide shallow pan rather than tall saucepan so more wine is exposed to air
Cooking with these modifications can likely remove over 80% of the alcohol originally in the wine.
Should you cook with Marsala wine at all if avoiding alcohol?
For those avoiding alcohol, cooking with wines or other alcohol is a personal choice.
Even with modified cooking methods, it is almost impossible to remove 100% of the alcohol from a dish like Chicken Marsala. However, the trace amounts left are insignificant.
Many avoid eating the following for the same reason:
- Vanilla extract
- Fruit juice concentrates
- Breads made with yeast
- Ripened cheeses
These products contain trace amounts of alcohol from the manufacturing and fermentation process. But, the residual alcohol is minimal.
Some are comfortable using these ingredients and alcohol in cooking, while others choose to avoid them. It is an individual decision based on your sensitivities and preferences.
Can you substitute with a non-alcoholic wine?
For those wishing to cook without any alcohol, non-alcoholic wine substitutes are available. These are dealcoholized wines with the alcohol removed.
Be sure to read labels and look for products containing less than 0.5% ABV if you want to avoid all alcohol content.
Non-alcoholic Marsala cooking wine would be the closest substitution in flavor. However, keep in mind that dealcoholized wine may have a slightly different flavor profile from its original version.
Other possible substitutes could include non-alcoholic sweet sherries or white grape juice with added seasoning to achieve a similar rich, tangy flavor.
Should the alcohol burn off when flambéing Chicken Marsala?
Some Chicken Marsala recipes call for flambéing or igniting the dish with alcohol at the end for an impressive presentation.
When done properly, flambéing can burn off some additional alcohol as it cooks. However, it’s difficult to achieve full alcohol burn off this way.
Factors like the type of pan, temperature, and flame intensity impact how much alcohol burns away when flambéing. In general though, flambéing will remove at least 10-25% of the remaining alcohol in the dish.
So while flambéing makes for an exciting tableside preparation, it should not be relied on as the only method to remove alcohol when needed. Follow the tips above like using less wine and cooking the sauce down first if avoiding alcohol.
Conclusion
In summary, it is likely that 40-60% of the alcohol in Marsala wine remains after cooking in Chicken Marsala recipes. This provides flavor, but very little alcohol per serving – equivalent to approximately one glass of wine. The amount is negligible and will not cause impairment. However, the alcohol content can be further reduced by modifying cooking methods and using less wine for those who wish to avoid alcohol exposure as much as possible. With the right strategies andrecipe adjustments,Chicken Marsala can be on the menu for everyone.