I made this Chicken Marbella for Rick before we were ever married. He loved it at the time but I honestly didn't think about it again until I asked him what some of his favorites dishes of mine were for a cookbook we are trying to put together. He mentioned this one and I made it again last night for the first time in years. We both said it was even better than we remembered it.
4-5 pieces of chicken (I used 2 whole leg quarters and 1 breast)
1 entire head of garlic minced or finely diced (that’s not a typo — it really is the entire head)
¼ cup dried oregano
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup pitted dried plums
1 cup pitted Spanish olives
½ cup capers drained
6 bay leaves
_____________________________
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine or chicken stock
¼ cup parsley finely chopped (optional)
- In large bowl, combine all ingredients except the sugar, wine, and parsley.
- Cover and marinate in fridge overnight. (Don't skip the overnight marinade. Trust me.)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and arrange chicken in single layer in a shallow, oven-safe pan.
- Spoon marinade over chicken, and pour wine around chicken.
- Sprinkle with brown sugar and bake for 50 – 60 minutes.
- Pull from oven and sprinkle with parsley, if using.
- Serve with rice or noodles.
recipe adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook