Chicken Marbella - Silver Palate Cookbook

Scoutie's Note:

This is from the Silver Palate Cookbook, and I love their food. I have seen this recipe for years and finally decided to try it and I am so glad I did! Prunes, capers and olives just didn't sound good, but I was SO wrong! I usually use legs and thighs, marinate them for about 6 hours in a plastic zip-top bag, and turn them every couple of hours. Only change I made was using 2 heads of roasted garlic instead of the 1 head of raw garlic. (that's HEAD, not clove.) I always use skin on, they brown and caramelize to a rich deep color. I urge you to try this...be brave and do it, you will be pleasantly suprised! : ) This makes a large amount, you can easily halve this recipe. Prep time does not include marinating time. Hope you enjoy! Correction...For the large quantity...it IS 4 2 1/2 lbs.chicken, sorry for ommision of the 4 in the original post. But Zaar won't let me put 4 chickens in the recipe.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

• 10 lbs chicken
• 1 head garlic , peeled and finely pureed
• ¼ cup dried oregano
• coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 cup pitted prunes
• ½ cup pitted spanish green olives
• ½ cup capers with a bit juice
• 6 bay leaves
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white wine
• ¼ cup Italian parsley (cilantro) or ¼ cup fresh coriander , finely chopped (cilantro)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. 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.
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 pan juices.
5. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice.
6. With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter.
7. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley.
8. Pass remaining pan juices in a sauceboat.
9. To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juices over chicken.

Reviews

[SarahEmmm]

I bought the Silver Palate cookery book just to get this recipe, as I wanted it for a big party. The only change I made was to double the quantity and use skinless breasts. This has to be one of the most successful 'surprise' recipes there is!

[Runs with Dogs]

Old stand by at my house - always delicious. Feeds a crowd and everyone likes it. Great party dish. The capers add salt and the prunes add sweet - what a combination! Make sure not to over bake the chicken or it will get dry. When entertaining, make ahead and just warm up.

[GinaCucina]

I've made this several times for company and everyone loves it. I serve it with a creamy risotto and salad. The only change I make is I substitute 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar for the 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar. I have even done it without marinating it overnight and it still is full of flavor.