Chicken Marbella
Chicken Marbella is, as I recently learned, is a somewhat of classic dish; one I had never heard of before. After reading several glowing reviews in magazines I decided I should try this dish out for myself. Recipes online tend to stick very close to the 1982 original from The Silver Palate Cookbook. For ours, I went a bit off script to get something closer to my all-time favourite, coq au vin.
The premise is simple, the chicken marinates overnight in a marinade of all different things Élizabeth has expressed a distaste for in the past - olives, prune, and capers. This step is super easy to do and is very important for making it as tasty as possible, don’t skip it! The marinaded chicken is then braised in the marinade and some wine. The end result is something like a Mediterranean coq au vin, sweeter and lighter than the French classic and every bit as delicious. Even Élizabeth agrees!
Compared to the original from The Silver Palate, this recipe increases the amount of marinade and liquid compared to chicken. The extra liquid changes it from dry cooking (roasting) to wet cooking (braising). As a consequence, the chicken comes out exceedingly moist with a wonderful sauce. I know some people might disagree with me messing with a classic, but I think the end result is worth it!
- 4 for dinner
- 15 minutes + overnight
- 30 minutes
Ingredients
- One whole chicken, divided
- 10 large olives, pitted and halved
- 1/4 cup capers
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped
- 2 bays leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white wine
- Salt and pepper
Directions
- Combine everything except the brown sugar and white wine into a marinade. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator overnight.
- Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, sear the chicken until the skins turns golden and crispy. The chicken should not stick at all when you try to move it.
- Once all the chicken is browned on all sides, return it to the pot alongside the marinade, brown sugar, and white wine.
- Simmer over low heat until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F
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