My NY Plate

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Chicken Marbella

Last night I made a dish for Charlie that I’d had earmarked for a long time, because it had all my favorite qualities (and his): healthy, easy, and made with olives (that last one is especially his). Little did I know this dish has a pretty famous culinary past. It was created by the women behind the Silver Palate, one of the top-selling cookbooks of all time. These ladies (one of which who was an ad exec!) set out to own an adorable market by the same name. Over time, they gained a following, and bing bang boom, a cookbook was born. At the time ingredients like capers were super-exotic. Hiding beneath those capers is a super-easy dish, perfect for doubling or even tripling for large parties or catered events. Best of all, it’s fool-proof. I forgot the red wine vinegar completely (even though I’d splurged on a new bottle that day - durr) and it turned out fine. Without further adoo…

Chicken Marbella

½ cup olive oil

½ cup red wine vinegar

1 cup pitted prunes

½ cup pitted Spanish green olives

½ cup capers, with a bit of juice

6 bay leaves (optional, if you ask me - I don’t know what Bay leaves do - if an herb doesn’t smell like anything before cooking, I don’t know what happens once you cook them)

1 head of garlic, peeled and puréed

½ cup fresh oregano, chopped, or ¼ cup dried oregano

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 chickens, 3 ½ to 4 pounds each, quartered (I used chicken breasts)

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (I used cilantro, because I prefer it)

1. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight (or, a few hours like I did).

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan; spoon the marinade over it evenly. Pour in the wine and sprinkle the chicken with the brown sugar.

3. Bake until the thigh pieces yield clear yellow juice when pricked with a fork, 50 to 60 minutes, basting two or three times with the pan juices once the chicken begins to brown (When basting, do not brush off the sugar. If the chicken browns too quickly, cover lightly with foil. Also, I just spooned the liquid back over the chicken, because I don’t have a baster). You can turn the broiler on for the last 5 minutes or so to get a nice crust going, too.

4. Transfer the chicken pieces to a warm serving platter and top with the prunes, olives and capers; keep warm. Place the roasting pan over medium heat and bring the pan juices to a boil. Reduce to about ½ cup. Strain into a heatproof bowl, add the parsley and pour over the chicken. Serves 6.

  1. vneckandacardigan said: exact same recipe except i throw in apricots too!
  2. my-little-kumquat said: sounds great - thanks for sharing!
  3. mynyplate posted this