Favorite Recipe of the Weekend -- Chicken Marbella

Chicken Marbella

Although the original recipe calls for 2 small chickens to be quartered, you could easily do this recipe with 5 pounds of chicken pieces, thighs and breasts.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 chickens, 2 1/2 lbs each, quartered, bone-in, skin-on
• 1/2 head of garlic, peeled and finely puréed
• 2 Tbsp dried oregano
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup pitted prunes
• 8 large pitted Spanish green olives, cut in half
• 1/4 cup capers with a bit of juice
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

METHOD

1 In a large bowl combine garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, 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 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.

3 Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with the pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest point, yield 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 and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Serve remaining juice in a gravy boat.

Yield: Serves 5-8 (or 4 heavyweight rowers...)

[Source: The Silver Palate Cookbook via Simply Recipes]