Chicken Marbella
Some credit for this delicious chicken has to go to my friend and neighbor, Shoshi. Not because this is her original recipe but because I first had it at her house and had I not had it there and realized how good it was I would never had started to make it. I mean, who would think to put olives and prunes together on chicken?! What a random combination! But it is gooooooood (and practically Tu B'shvat on a plate, hence the timing of this post) and it has since become one of the chickens I make the most. The recipe is actually from a famous cookbook called The Silver Palate written in the 80's by Sheila Lukins and Julee Russo but I've adapted it to fit my own tastes. I know there are a lot of olive-haters out there but I guarantee you that you cannot taste the olives at all (as long as you don't actually eat one)- they just add a great earthy saltiness to the sauce. It is best to marinate the chicken over night but I've made it after only marinating a couple of hours and it was great also. Like the Balsamic Maple Chicken, this also tastes great as leftovers.
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup pitted prunes cut in half (they are not just for old people anymore!)
1/2 a can of pitted olives + 1/2 of the water from the can
1 head (yes the whole thing, and yes its called that) of garlic, minced
2 Tbl dried oregano
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dry white wine (yes, it is necessary)
6-8 chicken bottoms, cut up
Add oil, vinegar, prunes, olives and water from the can, garlic, and oregano to the pan you will be cooking the chicken in. Mix together and place the chicken skin side down. Refrigerate and marinate over night, turning the chicken to skin side up at some point along the way (no need to get up in the middle of the night for this, turning an hour or two before baking is fine). After marinating, uncover and pour the white wine over the chicken and sprinkle the brown sugar all over the chicken. Cover and bake at 350 for 2 hours and then uncover and cook for another 1/2 an hour or so, or until it look like this perfect specimen of chickenhood:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup pitted prunes cut in half (they are not just for old people anymore!)
1/2 a can of pitted olives + 1/2 of the water from the can
1 head (yes the whole thing, and yes its called that) of garlic, minced
2 Tbl dried oregano
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dry white wine (yes, it is necessary)
6-8 chicken bottoms, cut up
Add oil, vinegar, prunes, olives and water from the can, garlic, and oregano to the pan you will be cooking the chicken in. Mix together and place the chicken skin side down. Refrigerate and marinate over night, turning the chicken to skin side up at some point along the way (no need to get up in the middle of the night for this, turning an hour or two before baking is fine). After marinating, uncover and pour the white wine over the chicken and sprinkle the brown sugar all over the chicken. Cover and bake at 350 for 2 hours and then uncover and cook for another 1/2 an hour or so, or until it look like this perfect specimen of chickenhood:
This actually is good. It could satisfy a lion!
ReplyDeleteI am so honored to get a shout out! This is such a yummy recipe and your picture looks great. I always get lots of compliments on it. I don't think I've ever tasted your exact version though. So, feel free to unload any leftovers that you may have. :) You're making me second guess my shabbat menu.
ReplyDeleteWe've eaten this several times. Awesome!
ReplyDelete