Chicken Marbella
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One of the most popular dishes from the Silver Palate Cookbook, Chicken Marbella has been a family favorite for decades. Loved it back then; still love it now!
Chicken Marbella is probably the most famous recipe to come out of the beloved Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and the late Sheila Lukins. Growing up, this dish was a regular at our family dinners, especially during Rosh Hashanah and Passover. To this day, my mom prepares it for special family gatherings. I hesitated to share this recipe initially, thinking many of you might already have it tucked away. But then it dawned on me that an entire new generation of home cooks might be unfamiliar with it. After all, the cookbook hit the shelves in 1982 — and to put that in perspective, I was only 9 years old back then!
So, what makes Chicken Marbella so darn good? First off, the chicken itself is always tender and juicy. But more than anything, it’s in the unique Mediterranean flavor combination — a marinade of garlic and herbs, a savory-sweet wine gravy (which, I swear, is good enough to drink), and a mix of plump prunes, briny capers, and tangy green olives. It all comes together to make one gorgeous and memorable dish.
Table of Contents
“I made this for my husband’s birthday dinner last night – THE MOST AMAZING CHICKEN ever!”
If you don’t have the Silver Palate Cookbook, a 25th-anniversary edition complete with photos was published a few years ago. The recipes are as relevant today as they were in the 1980s. In fact, my mother still keeps her original copy by the stove, with the Chicken Marbella page (among many others) dog-eared and scribbled on.
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Marbella
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a large bowl combine garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers with caper juice, and bay leaves. Add the chicken pieces and coat completely with the marinade (use your hands to rub marinade all over and especially under the skin). Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and set two oven racks in the centermost positions. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in two 9 x 13-inch baking dishes and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.
Bake for about 1 hour, basting occasionally with the pan juices. The chicken is done when the thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest point, yield clear yellow juice (not pink).
At this point, you can serve the chicken as is, especially if you plan to remove the skin. However, if you prefer a crisper, browner skin, transfer the chicken pieces to a foil-lined baking sheet.
Broil 5 inches from the heating element for a few minutes, or until the skin is golden and crisp; keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Then proceed to serve as above.)
With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Add some of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with the parsley. Pass the remaining sauce on the side.
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Chicken Marbella
One of the most popular dishes from the Silver Palate Cookbook, Chicken Marbella has been a family favorite for decades. Loved it back then; still love it now!
Ingredients
- 2 cut-up chickens, 2½ pounds each, quartered, bone-in, skin-on (see note)
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup pitted prunes
- ¼ cup Spanish green olives
- ¼ cup capers, with a bit of juice
- 3 bay leaves
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers with caper juice, and bay leaves. Add the chicken pieces and coat completely with the marinade (use your hands to rub marinade all over and especially under the skin). Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set two oven racks in the centermost positions.
- Arrange the marinated chicken in a single layer in two 9 x 13-inch baking dishes and spoon the marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar and pour the white wine around them.
- Bake for about 1 hour, basting occasionally with the pan juices. The chicken is done when the thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest point, yield clear yellow juice (not pink).
- With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter (discard the bay leaves). Add some of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with the parsley. Pass the remaining sauce in a gravy boat. (Alternatively, if you prefer a crisper, browner skin, transfer the chicken pieces to a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 5 inches from the heating element for a few minutes, or until the skin is golden and crisp; keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn. Then proceed to serve as above.) Serve the chicken hot or room temperature.
- Note: You can substitute all white or dark meat depending on what your family likes. I've also seen appetizer versions made entirely with small drumsticks and wings.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 821
- Fat: 50 g
- Saturated fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Sugar: 18 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 62 g
- Sodium: 963 mg
- Cholesterol: 280 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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Jenn – my chicken Marbella is marinating but plans have changed, so need to freeze the dish. Please advise whether to freeze raw or cook it first. thank you.
Hi Theresa, either one will work!
Jen, Since I’m not a huge fan of dried oregano, is there another spice that would work well in the chicken marbella?
Hi Rosemary, dried thyme or basil would work here in place of the oregano. Enjoy!
Does the chicken have an olivey taste? I have some picky people coming and I want to make this, but don’t want it to be passed up bc of the olives!
No, it doesn’t; The olives and capers are balanced perfectly with the prunes to make a delicious sweet-savory gravy. I think everyone will enjoy!
Fantastic flavors! I followed the recipe exactly except for using the cut up chicken. I happened to have 5 frozen, boneless, skinless breasts on hand, so took a chance. Although the skin would add more flavor, I thought that these were wonderful: moist, tender, and great flavor combo. I don’t typically care for olives or capers, but when you add all of these ingredients together, there’s an amazing synergy. Thanks for including this recipe on your site!
Jenn, can you please provide the nutritional information for this dish? I’m looking forward to making it. Thank you.
Hi Barbara, I just added them. You’ll see the numbers are pretty high; that’s primarily because of the skin on the chicken (but it is delicious)!
For this Chicken Marbella, do I have to leave the skin on. I never do as I won’t eat it. Will it still maintain the same flavor?
Hi Nancy, You don’t have to leave it on, but the skin adds so much flavor – If possible, I would suggest cooking the chicken with the skin on and removing it before serving.
Hi Jenn,
My husband said this was the best chicken he’s ever had. He’s 62 so that’s a lot of chicken years! He said it was restaurant quality so he hit the nail on the head (it is restaurant quality!) I can’t get over how easy it was. I used two chicken breasts with bones and skin which produced almost no sauce. I’m going to make it again for friends next week, any suggestions on how to get more gravy/sauce? I’ll probably make 4 of the same breasts for them. Thanks so much for this recipe, can’t wait to try more as I’m new to your blog. Love it!
Hi Carol, so glad you enjoyed the chicken! Definitely sounds strange, though, that there wasn’t much gravy as this generally has quite a bit. Are you sure you measured everything correctly?
My husband just had the leftovers for lunch. He still raved.
Yes, I measured everything to the recipe. Even added more wine at around 35 minutes. Maybe it was because I only used one split breast? Your recipe has 2.5 lbs per pan, all the chicken parts. It was still fantastic though. Maybe I should double up on the marinade, although maybe not the garlic? I wish I had taken a picture right out of the oven. Thanks.
Hi Jenn, this is such an easy and delicious dish! Thanks so much for the recipe! If I only have dark brown sugar on hand, can this be substituted for light? And if so, would the amount be the same?
Hi Jane – Yes and yes 🙂
I added the wine to the marinade by mistake will it still work?
Yes, Paula – don’t worry about it!
Where do you find 2.5lb chickens? I’m at Safeway and the lightest chicken they have us 5lbs.
Hi Seth, The recipe calls for cut-up chickens. Sorry that wasn’t clear – I’ll update the recipe to clarify.
Ah, thanks, that makes a lot more sense. Marinating now!