Calories in alcohol-based sauce brought to boil (bourbon chicken)
In the same spirit as this question, I came across a keto recipe for bourbon chicken. I don't usually trust the calorie-count of recipes like this from the blogosphere, I have no clue where/how they're crunching their numbers. So I usually put the recipes into Cronometer (awesome site, like MyFitnessPal on steroids).
Naturally, I would assume all the calories are burned off if you were to deglaze a pan, but seeing as the bourbon is brought to a boil with the chicken-stock, I don't think it's safe to assume all the calories are burned off... but then again I'm slowly learning how to cook, so I'm no expert.
Best Answer
Chronometer uses the best scientific-quality database, which is from the USDA's FoodData Central. You can find the same data at nutritiondata.self.com, which is easier to access from a desktop computer (in my opinion).
The data set for 80 proof spirits is here. For all of them, bourbon included, the calories from not-alcohol is 0. All the calories in bourbon come from alcohol; there are no carbs, proteins or fats.
The boiling point for alcohol in spirits is around 78 C (173 F). So if you get your food hot enough for long enough, you will eventually get rid of all the alcohol. Bourbon has highly concentrated alcohol, but since the recipe calls for a rolling boil and extended simmer, I would assume that you would remove all the alcohol through cooking, leaving zero calories behind in the sauce from the bourbon.
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Do calories in alcohol burn off when cooking?
If a percentage of the alcohol evaporates during cooking, does a proportional amount of the calories magically disappear too? Unfortunately not. Much of the calories in alcoholic beverages are in the sugar, not in the alcohol itself. And the sugar does not burn off.Does the alcohol cook out of bourbon chicken?
Roughly speaking: Beer cheese sauce, bourbon caramel and other sauces brought to a boil and then removed from the heat typically retain about 85 percent of the alcohol.Does cooking chicken in beer add calories?
\u201cWith meat, for instance, you'd enhance flavor with oil, but oil is about 120 calories per tablespoon, so even if a regular beer has 150 calories, you only get about 75 calories if you add a tablespoon to your meat dish and you get a delicious taste,\u201d Amidor says.Does bourbon chicken have alcohol in it?
Bourbon chicken does actually have alcohol in the sauce, though most of it cooks off. In keeping with the name, bourbon is used in Bourbon chicken. It helps balance the sauce and keep it from tasting too sweet.Can I Make This Better Than The Mall Food Court? | Bourbon Chicken Recipe
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