I have a recipe for chicken vesuvio, in which the one of the main ingredients is chardonnay. I’m thinking about making a similar dish tonight, but don’t have any wine to add. I was thinking about using a substitute liquor instead, and have the following:
Absolut vodka, Malibu coconut rum, Southern Comfort, Absolut Citron, Kalua, Seagram’s Canadian Whisky, Canadian Club Whisky, Gordon’s gin, and Glen Fiddich single malt scotch.
Would any of these add any (good) flavor to my chicken? Any of them that I should avoid cooking with?
Thanks
None of those liquors will substitute for the wine. The intent of cooking with wine is not so much to add alcohol (nearly all of that will be cooked out) but to add the flavors of the wine (which will be intensified as the liquid cooks off). That said, any of those, with the exception of the vodka, will impart flavors to the dish. It’s a matter of matching the flavor of the booze to that of the other ingredients.
I often pair bourbon with steak, and could easily see a whiskey and chicken match working. I’m not a gin fan, so I, personally, would pass on that. Ditto the Malibu. The SoCo and the Kahlua will likely add quite a bit of sweetness to the dish. The Citron vodka could be a nice addition if you are going for a citrus dish.
Second the idea of whisky chicken. But it’s going to make it a fundamentally different recipe. Think of the measures you use for drinking wine and drinking whisky (expect when I’m pouring 
), and apply them to whatever recipe you’re adapting. Obviously you need to add liquid to replace that of the wine - hopefully just chicken stock will work. View it as an experiment 
(and let us know the results!)
Thanks for the help. I was just in the mood for an expirament tonight, and that’s where the idea came from. I’m expecting something different than the original recipe. I’ll probably go with the whisky or citron, and I’ll let you guys know how it turns out.
Be careful when adding the alcohol around an open flame - if you have gas burners you may want to remove the pan from the burner (or turn it off) before this step. You should also consider adding some extra water to dilute the alcohol and make up for the lost volume of the wine.
I ended up going with the whisky (the Canadian Club). It wasn’t nearly as good as the original recipe with the wine, but it was good. I’m not sure how much the whisky added to the flavor, but if nothing else it helped keep the chicken juicy. Not a bad meal; I’ll probably experiment with this even more.
Cooking with beer is always good.
And in a pinch, you can always use vermouth if you haven’t any white wine on hand.
White wine is fantastic with your paler meats such as chicken and pork, but I would also recommend brandy for chicken.
I make pasta sometimes with chicken in a cream (with added dash of brandy) sauce with snowpeas. Very tasty.