Chicken Marbella

Need a chicken dish for a large dinner party?  Look no further.  Chicken Marbella is your answer.

Not only does it taste good, but since you prep it the night before (about 30 minutes of work) and just pop it in the oven before your guests arrive, it is not too taxing on the day of the dinner party.


The next time I make this dish, I will add a few extra olives.  It looks prettier on the plate if you can serve each portion with some capers, a prune and a few olives.  If you use chicken parts instead of quartered chickens (as I did), it only takes about 40 minutes to bake to doneness.

Serve with a green salad and rice pilaf.


Chicken Marbella
Serves 15-20
Adapted from Cooks.com

4 chickens, 2 1/2 lbs. each, quartered (or 10 lb of chicken parts)
1 head of garlic, peeled and put through a garlic press
1/4 c. dried oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
1 c. pitted prunes
1/2 c. pitted Spanish green olives (a few extra is good)
1/2 c. capers with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white wine
1/4 c. Italian parsley, finely chopped

In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

Bake for an hour (or 40 minutes, if using smaller pieces of chicken), basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. (Set your probe thermometer.)

With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter with some of the pan juices. Cover with foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle generously with parsley. Pass the remaining pan juices in a sauceboat.  Serve.