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Chicken Marbella
02 October 2009
Facebook reminded me of this
Food, thoughts of food, and combinations of flavors rarely leave my mind. Even in the most unexpected places, something to do with food pops up, and I am drawn to it. Facebook isn’t even a safe haven, should I ever feel the need to escape my visions of anything epicurean. I have acquired a handful of friends on Facebook with whom questions, suggestions, recipes, and entire party ideas are routinely exchanged. Perhaps it would come as no surprise that at least a couple of these “foodies” and I have become fast friends. Yes, food brings people together … I just always imagined a gathering around a table, not keyboards, monitors, and even Blackberries.
Chicken was on the Facebook menu this week. Someone I knew from summer camp posted that she had completed the preliminary preparations for a dinner party she would be hosting the following evening. She referred to her entrée as being the quintessential 80’s chicken dish. What is it? Chicken Marbella. Upon reading this at 6:30 a.m., barely even having had a sip of my coffee, my mouth was watering over the thought of that dish.
If you are familiar with the name of this, then you most certainly know of The Silver Palate Cookbook
, which was quite a popular cookbook in the 1980‘s, due the success of the actual shop in previous years. If not, and you’re in need of a new cook book with nothing but fantastic, never fail recipes, I highly recommend finding a copy. I actually have two copies of both the original Silver Palate Cookbook, and another titled The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook (one pair was my mother’s, and shall serve as my back up should my original ones ever get too stained and warn out, or permanently lent to anyone.)
Lots of people wind up hosting fall dinner parties, and need something that is done ahead of time, and will simply ‘wow’ their guests. That’s what Chicken Marbella does every time. All the flavors of the Mediterranean marry well in this dish that is loaded with garlic, oregano, green olives, capers, prunes (yes, but don’t let that turn you away) olive oil, vinegar, and white wine. The aroma when it’s in the oven is magical. You may wonder whether you’ve been transported to a market in Marrakesh, or even a very Moorish area of Spain.
Here’s the recipe, and I joyfully, and gratefully, give full credit to the talented women of The Silver Palate Cookbook
for creating this. This is one recipe I gladly follow without believing any improvisations could in any way improve upon its perfection.
CHICKEN MARBELLA
(The Silver Palate Cookbook)
- 4 Chickens, 2 ½ lbs each, quartered
- 1 head of garlic, peeled and finely puréed
- ¼ c oregano
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ red wine vinegar
- ½ c olive oil
- 1 cup pitted prunes
- ½ Spanish green olives
- ½ cup capers with a bit of the juice
- 6 bay leaves
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white wine
- ¼ Italian parsley or fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Method
Combine all the chicken, garlic, oregano, pepper and salt, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves in a large bowl, or zip sealing type of bag, and marinate in refrigerator overnight.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Arrange chicken in a single layer in shallow baking pans, and evenly spoon marinade over it. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar and pour the white wine around them.
Bake for 50 mins to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. The chicken is done when the thigh pieces reveal clear, yellow juices, rather than pink, when pricked at their thickest parts.
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 the remaining juice separately.
To serve this cold, cool to room temperature in the cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If it has been covered and refrigerated, allow to return to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over the chicken.
This will be enough to serve 10-12 people, and the recipe doubles easily. The leftover chicken even makes an amazing wrap or pita sandwich the next day with some lettuce, tomato and feta cheese.
References:
The Silver Palate Cookbook
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