Chicken Marbella

I cannot believe i’m saying this, but this Chicken Marbella might be my favorite thing i’ve ever cooked. That says A LOT! Chicken Marbella is one of those comforting dishes that you can never get sick of.

Essentially, Chicken Marbella is roasted chicken with green olives, prunes, capers, white wine, and brown sugar. The chicken becomes so moist and basically falls off the bone. All of the ingredients caramelize together and create this stew-like dish that is literally indescribable. The aromas alone should give you enough of a reason to make it.

I used the Chicken Marbella recipe from New York Times Cooking which is an adapted version of the original Chicken Marbella recipe by The Silver Palate which was published in 1982. This recipe is truly foolproof; it’s perfect for large parties, as its a one-pot dinner and has an easy clean-up. It also is incredible as leftovers!

*This recipe calls for 2 whole chickens and tells you to quarter them. I wanted to simplify it, so I used 2 packs of boneless, skin-on chicken thighs.

*it also calls for a very large amount of brown sugar. I used about half of what it calls for because it seemed too much with the prunes. I would suggest following your intuition and your preference. If you love extra sweetness, go for it all!

*it also says to marinate the chicken overnight, but I forgot to and it turned out perfectly fine!

Ingredients

½ cup olive oil

½ cup red wine vinegar

1 cup pitted prunes

½ cup pitted Spanish green olives

½ cup capers

6 bay leaves

1 head of garlic, peeled and puréed

½ cup fresh oregano, chopped, or 1/4 cup dried oregano

2 teaspoons of salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 packages boneless, skin-on chicken thighs

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight.

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.
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.)

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 1/2 cup. Strain into a heatproof bowl, add the parsley and pour over the chicken. Enjoy!!!!!