Chicken Marbella

Creator:

Silver Palate Cookbook. Corky Ackman

In Advance:

Serves 10 to 12. May be halved or more.

Ingredients:

  • 4 chickens, 2 1/2 lbs each, quartered
  • 1 head garlic, peeled and finely pureed ( 1/4 cup, chopped)
  • 1/4 cup dried oregano
  • kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup pitted prunes
  • 1/2 cup pitted spanish olives
  • 1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
  • 6 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1/4 cup italian parsley, chopped

Recipe:

  1. In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper, and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers, and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 350ยบ
  3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large shallow baking sheets and spoon marinade over chicken evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces evenly with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.
  4. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hr, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice.
  5. With a slotted spoon transfer chicken , prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining pan juices in a sauceboat.
  6. To serve chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If chicken has been covered and refigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over chicken.