I purchased a bottle of Marsala wine from my local grocery store several years ago. It tasted horrible and ruined my chicken marsala. Now, I make my own with two simple ingredients, white wine and brandy. Depending upon the white wine and brand of brandy you use will determine the flavor of your Marsala wine. I provide you with the brands that I use as well as the recipe. Using these brands, the two flavors resulted in an incredible Gluten Free Chicken Marsala Medallions Recipe.
Is Wine Gluten Free?
While wine is gluten free, if you are highly intolerant to gluten, you may decide to avoid even wine, especially the brands that seal their oak barrels with wheat paste. Because wine is filtered so many times, experts determined that the wheat is no longer in the wine. However, why purchase Marsala wine for one dish, to never be used until months or years down the road, or ever. Instead, you can make your own Marsala wine using this easy to make substitute recipe.
Is Brandy Gluten Free?
Brandy is gluten free as it is made from distilled wine or fruit, some of which have been aged in wooden barrels. So, keep in mind, since Marsala is also wine, it may also be sealed with wheat paste.
Each brandy may be made from different ingredients from wheat to rye and potatoes to milk. French and some other brandies are made from grapes. E&J brandy, which is what I use, is made from grapes. Many other fruits are used as well.
A delicious tasting Marsala wine that you can quickly make from home.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon gluten free brandy (E&J - I used their Very Special variety)
- 1 cup (minus 1 tablespoon) (I used Charles Shaw Sauvignon Blanc*)
Instructions:
- Add one tablespoon of brandy to a measuring cup. Add enough dry white wine to make one full cup. Stir and use as a substitute for Marsala wine. Keep refrigerated for longer storage periods.
Tips
*Sauvignon Blanc is a little sweet. Some people don't consider sweet wines dry; however, many consider sauvignon blanc dry. I like Marsala wine on the sweet side when using it to make Chicken Marsala or Veal Marsala as it usually contains sugar already. I use Charles Shaw, found at Trader Joe's, for cooking. It tastes perfectly fine and is only about $3 per bottle. There's no use wasting expensive wine on something you're going to add sugar to as in the case of Chicken Marsala or even red wine in Spaghetti Sauce. Just be sure that whatever you use, that you enjoy the taste.
The variety of brandy that you use also makes a huge impact on this recipe. The smoother it goes down the better. You don't want a brandy that appears to sting the back of your throat.