Chicken Marbella – A 70’s classic!
PrintChicken Marbella
Chicken Marbella – This recipe is simply delightful. If you are looking for something to turn up the volume on your boring chicken dinner, this is it. It’s a breeze to put together. I marinated mine overnight, so dinner prep the next night was super easy. All the ingredients compliment so well. Ina’s really got it going on, as usual!!
This is a much leaner, healthier update of the original classic Silver Palate Cookbook’s Chicken Marbella recipe. It’s bursting with sweet,vinegary, briny flavors. Prunes are the distinctive ingredient in this famous dish. They’re actually used often in classical French cooking, and the Silver Palate recipe borrows heavily from the French traditional lapin aux pruneaux.
Not what you are looking for? Try these other excellent chicken recipes: Vinegar-Braised Chicken and Onions, Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms or Braised Herbed Chicken.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 50
- Total Time: 565
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 145 degrees F. 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 pan juices.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6