The Silver Palate
16 pieces, serves 10 or more, can be divided easily
Stephanie’s note: start the night before you serve it. I think this dish is best with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Try using drummies or wings for appetizer portions. Especially when cooking thighs, I like to cook this for longer than noted for very crisp, browned skin and nicely reduced pan juices.
4 chickens, 2 1/2 lbs. each, quartered
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed (or minced)
1/4 c. dried oregano
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
1 c. pitted prunes (I like to halve them)
1/2 c. pitted Spanish green olives
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 or cilantro, finely chopped
1. 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. (Or, to save a dirty bowl, arrange chicken in shallow baking pans as below, whisk together marinade in a small bowl, pour over chicken and marinate overnight. )
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinate over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.
4. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow juice.
5. (I skip this step and just serve from the pans.) With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining pan juices in a sauceboat.
6. To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temp in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room temp before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over chicken.