Chicken Marbella

Our neighbour, Olivia, frequently invites us over for dinner when certain dishes are on the menu. One of our favourite dishes is her Chicken Marbella. It's a dish I have yet to make myself because, for some reason, I can stand in front of the stove and stir a pot for an hour, but I can't bring myself to baste something in the oven. I've got to get over that.

In the meantime, Olivia was generous enough to share her recipe, based on the recipe from the Silver Palate Cookbook, and allow me to take photos. The dish pictured didn't have cilantro as a garnish because there was an in-house shortage.

There's something about the flavours in this dish that make it irresistible. I think it's the sweet and savoury combination of flavour - it's amazing. I always use extra sauce to help mop up the rice. So tasty.

Chicken Marbella

2 tbsp garlic puree
2 tbsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pitted prunes
8 large olives, pitted and cut in half
1/4 cup capers (retain some of the juice)
3 bay leaves
2 kilos chicken legs and/or thighs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white wine
4 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

1. In a large bowl, whisk together garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers with caper juice, and bay leaves.
2. Add the chicken and coat completely with the marinade (tip: you can put the chicken and marinade into a large zipper bag). Cover and refrigerate, for several hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. In a large roasting pan (or two smaller pans), arrange chicken in a single layer and spread remaining marinade over evenly.
4. Sprinkle chicken with brown sugar. Pour white wine around the chicken, being careful to not wash the sugar and marinade off the chicken.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes basting frequently. Note: use a meat thermometer to check chicken or check for clear juice (not pink) when testing using a fork.
6. Transfer chicken and marinade to a deep serving dish and garnish with cilantro.
7. Adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook.

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