This Chicken Marbella recipe is a delicious combination of tender roasted chicken, sweet prunes, briny green olives, capers, garlic, and white wine. With its irresistible balance of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors, this classic chicken dish is perfect for dinner parties, holiday gatherings, or a memorable family meal.
Chicken Marbella became famous through The Silver Palate Cookbook, where its combination of prunes, olives, capers, and vinegar helped make it a dinner-party classic. This version, attributed to Ina Garten, features overnight-marinated chicken roasted with brown sugar and white wine for a delicious balance of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors.
The marinade is what makes Chicken Marbella so distinctive. Olive oil and red wine vinegar create a tangy foundation, while minced garlic, dried oregano, bay leaves, green olives, and capers add aromatic, salty depth. Prunes provide a natural sweetness that balances the vinegar and briny ingredients.
Start with two four-pound chickens, cut into serving pieces. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, add the chicken, and turn the pieces to coat them evenly. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally so the flavors reach every piece.
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the marinated chicken skin-side up in a large roasting pan, keeping the pieces in a single layer. Sprinkle with brown sugar, then pour dry white wine around the chicken.
A large stainless steel roasting pan is particularly useful for this recipe because it provides enough room for the chicken, olives, prunes, and flavorful cooking juices.
Roast until the chicken is golden and an instant-read thermometer confirms that the thickest pieces have reached at least 165°F. The published roasting time is approximately 45–55 minutes, although larger pieces may need longer.
Let the chicken rest briefly before serving. Arrange the roasted pieces on a platter with the prunes and olives, discard the bay leaves, and spoon the warm pan juices over everything.
Serve Chicken Marbella with rice, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, or crusty bread to enjoy every bit of the sweet-and-savory sauce.
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Chicken Marbella
- Total Time: 9:05
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup good olive oil
- 1/2 cup good red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups large pitted prunes, such as Sunsweet
- 1 cup large green olives, pitted, such as Cerignola
- 1/2 cup capers, including the juices (3 1/2 ounces)
- 6 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 heads of garlic, cloves separated, peeled, and minced
- 1/4 cup dried oregano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 (4-pound) chickens, backs removed and cut in 8 pieces
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
Instructions
- Combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, 2 tablespoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken to the marinade. (You can also place the chicken and marinade in a 2-gallon plastic storage bag and squeeze out the air to make sure the chicken is fully covered with the marinade.) Refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally to be sure the marinade is getting into all of the chicken pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the chicken, skin side up, along with the marinade in one layer in a large (15-by-18-inch) roasting pan, sprinkle with the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper, and pour the wine around (not over!) the chicken. Roast for 45 to 55 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees F. Cooking times may vary depending on the size of the chicken pieces and how crowded the roasting pan is.
- Remove the pan from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Transfer the chicken, prunes, and olives to a serving platter, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot with the warm pan juices.
- Prep Time: :15
- Brine: 8:00
- Cook Time: :50
- Category: Entree
- Method: Oven