Chicken Marbella

My dear friend Kathryn told me about this recipe a while back. I guess she had seen it on the Today Show when Matt Lauer shared his favorite recipe. Kathryn has wonderful taste, both in fashion and food. So when she raved about how delicious this dish was, I knew it was something I had to try out and hopefully share with my readers.  

Boy did it turn out good! Easy to prepare and very elegant. I served it with rice but it would go equally as well with couscous. I'm definitely making it again soon. Next time I'll prepare it for my in-laws and I'll even try to follow the original recipe. 

Thanks, Kath! Love you!!!

Chicken Marbella 

Adapted by Foodism Mom from The Silver Palate Cookbook 25th Anniversary Edition 

Although the original recipe calls for 2 small chickens to be quartered, I am trying it out with 4 chicken breasts.

Ingredients

• 4 medium to large boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp of garlic, peeled and finely puréed
• 2 Tbsp dried oregano
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup pitted prunes, cut in half
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives,
• 1/4 cup capers with a bit of juice
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup red wine or white wine
• 2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

Method

1 In a large bowl combine garlic, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers with caper juice, and bay leaves. Add the chicken pieces and coat completely with the marinade. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, several hours or overnight.

2 Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange chicken in a single layer in a large baking dish and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.
3 Bake for about 45-50 minutes. Chicken is done when pricked with a fork at their thickest point, yields clear yellow juice (not pink).
4 With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Add some of the pan juices (season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary) and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Serve remaining juice in a gravy boat.
Yield: Serves 5-8.

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