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Chicken Marbella Recipe

Filed under Chicken, Main Course, Wheat-free

Chicken Marbella

Prunes with capers? Not the most appetizing combination if one stops to think about it. However, when cooked together with chicken they create a delectable sweet and sour, savory flavor. The original recipe calls for the chicken pieces to be marinated all night. We found that marinating for 5 hours worked fine.

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Chicken Marbella Recipe

Ingredients

2 chickens, 2 1/2 lbs each, quartered
1/2 head of garlic, peeled and finely puréed
2 Tbsp dried oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/4 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/4 cup capers with a bit of juice
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white wine
2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley or cilantro, finely chopped

Method

1 In a large bowl combine garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, 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 Preheat oven to 350°F.

3 Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

4 Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with the pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest point, yield clear yellow juice (not pink).

5 With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Add some of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Serve remaining juice in a gravy boat.

Serves 5.

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Posted by Elise on Jul 6, 2005 and indexed Chicken

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Comments

Thanks for reminding me of this recipe. I've made it several times, years ago, and it was really very good. I have several favorites from The Silver Palate Cookbook.

Posted by: LynneM on July 7, 2005 5:55 AM

Man that looks good. I love that combination of flavors: salty, tart, with the peculiarly pine-like aroma of capers.

Posted by: Robert on July 12, 2005 7:19 AM

Hi Lynne, yep I had it a few years ago at a friend's house and begged the recipe from her. It really is quite surprisingly good.

Hey Robert - nice to see you here!

Posted by: elise [TypeKey Profile Page] on July 12, 2005 10:48 PM

I just tried this recipe. I had had it at a dinner party where I was suitably impressed by the complexity of flavors.
I really loved making the chicken this way. Thanks!

Posted by: Abby on August 2, 2005 9:39 PM

One of my all time favorite dishes. It is delicious. Don't hesitate. You can always call them "dried plums"

Posted by: april andrews on March 6, 2006 7:21 AM

I made this for my ladies Bible study dinner last night and it was a hit! Being in a hurry during prep, I accidentally added the brown sugar and wine to the marinade, rather than adding just before baking - but the dish turned out fine. I also baked and served in the same dish, and the presentation was still beautiful. This is a delicious meal - definitely one I will make again and probably one that I will prep & freeze, so I can just thaw and throw in the oven. Thanks!

Posted by: Jamie on September 6, 2006 10:23 AM

I always add dried apricots to this recipe too. Just throw half a cup of them in with everything else and they really add to the dish.

Posted by: Rebekah on March 22, 2007 1:48 PM

I have made this many times, but since I do not like prunes, I have used dates - delicious none the less! Also good with boneless cutlets,

Posted by: Marian McEnerney on June 26, 2007 7:27 AM

I made this recipe yesterday for my Mahjongg friends and everybody liked it. I forgot to add the sugar, but it was still delicious, I will definitely make it again
Thanks!

Posted by: Jorunnita in Costa Rica on November 8, 2007 11:22 AM

My aunt made this for us last summer...so delicious...simple and elegant...a winner!

Posted by: Anonymous on January 31, 2008 3:13 PM

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