Chicken Marbella

Although this dish is named for Marbella, a stylish resort town just east of Gibraltar on the Spanish Riviera., it was actually first produced in New York City by the Silver Palette Cookbook ladies, Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso. For the 21st century, the amount of chicken and sugar has been pared way down to give it the spirit of a healthy, Mediterranean style diet. This dish goes well with rice or orzo and a vegetable side such as roasted asparagus or green beans, raisins, and pine nuts.

Yield:
serves 6 hungry people
Category:
Chicken & Other Birds
Cuisine:
Spanish
Prep Time:
12 hrs 0 min
Cooking Time:
40 min
Total Time:
12 hrs 40 min

INGREDIENTS:

  • 6 chicken thighs, skinless, boneless
  • 1 Spanish onion, chopped
  • 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano or 1/2 cup fresh
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup pitted prunes, fresh or dried
  • OR dried apricots OR dried sour cherries and golden raisins
  • AND/OR 1/2 cup dried figs, chopped in quarters
  • 8-12 large pitted green olives, optionally cut in half
  • 2 tablespoons capers with a bit of juice
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white wine such as Pinot Grigio
  • 3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a large bowl combine onion, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers with caper juice, and bay leaves. Add the chicken pieces and coat completely with the marinade. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, several hours or overnight.
  2. Heat oven to 350°F. Arrange chicken in a single layer in a shallow baking pan and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle brown sugar over the chicken pieces and pour white wine around (not over) them.
  3. Bake for 30 minutes, basting halfway through with the pan juices. Chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer reads 150 degrees in 3 test spots.
  4. Remove the pan from the oven. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. With a slotted spoon, move the chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Pour some of the pan juices over the chicken and sprinkle generously with the parsley. Serve remaining juices in a gravy boat.

Print