Chicken Marbella
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
What a delightful dish…everyone loved it. Lots of flavour and makes a great company dish. Will be making this time and time again.
Could I puree the capers? Many in my family say they “don’t like” capers although they’ve never tried them. So puree? Or, is there an alternative?
Thanks,
Lauren
Hi Lauren, you can just omit the capers. Hope everyone enjoys!
I love this dish! Just wondering if I can marinate the chicken in a 9×13 pan, then put the whole thing in the oven when it’s time to bake? Saves me a dish – and a step.
Yep 🙂
Jenn!
It’s Saturday morning and my chicken has been marinating in the fridge since last night for a dinner party tonight. Our guests cancelled this morning due to illness and I want to know if I can FREEZE the chicken (with all the olives, etc.) and then thaw it out for later use? Thanks for a (hopefully) quick response:)
Hi Jennifer, Yep, that’s fine 🙂
Dear Jenn,
I want to make Chicken Marbella and don’t have white wine. Can I substitute chicken broth for the wine?
Sincerely,
Stephanie Peskin
Hi Stephanie, The wine adds a lot of flavor to this dish, so I think it’s worth getting if you can. That said, chicken broth will work. Hope that helps!
Will make chicken Marbella.But as you said a whole new generation with this recipe.I must tell you I am from the old generation and never saw this recipe .
New or old love your recipes .
This recipe is excellent. I actually do have the Silver Palate Cook Book, but prefer to use your recipe because it halves the quantities, which is better for the smaller number of people that I typically invite. Also I like the additional tips that you give (e.g. the final broiling to darken the skin). The only change I make is to double the marinade and the white wine so I have extra sauce. Whenever I serve this, I am always asked for the recipe.
Hi Jenn-
I want to make this for baby shower using drumsticks (appetizer) thinking 10 pounds of chicken to feed around 30-40 people for appetizer. Assuming I’ll have to adjust my cooking time. Any advice for length of cooking time? Thanks! I always get nervous cooking poultry 😬
My family had this for dinner last night! Perfectly divine 😀
Hi Jennifer, Actually, I don’t think you’ll need to adjust the timing because you’re using drumsticks, but because you’re going to be baking about twice the amount, it may take a bit longer for that amount to cook. I’d start checking them at about 55 minutes.
This is excellent and so easy to throw together! I used bone-in, skin on chicken thighs and they were very moist and loaded with flavor. The briny olives and capers add saltiness, which balances the sweetness from the brown sugar and prunes. The prunes didn’t fall apart. The only change I made to the recipe was to reduce the brown sugar to 1/3 cup and use less salt and pepper. I was skeptical about using 2 1/4 tsp of salt. It seemed excessive since the olives and capers are salty. In a January/14 review Jenn had noted that she used 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper, which is less than the recipe calls for. The chicken was done in 45 minutes. I removed the thighs, olives, prunes and capers to a foil lined baking pan and browned them under the broiler before drizzling with some of the juices and sprinkling with parsley.
Hi Jenn, In your review dated Jan. 10/14, you noted that you like your food well-seasoned so would use about 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in the marinade. Those measures are very different from the 2 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper that are listed here in the recipe. Could you please verify which is correct? The capers and olives are salty, and adding an additional 2 1/4 teaspoons of salt seems excessive. Thanks.
Hi Sadie, I’m sorry for the confusion! When I originally added the recipe to my blog, I didn’t specify the amount of salt and pepper that should be used but rather indicated that they should be added to taste. I’ve updated the recipe to make it more clear (and if you’re concerned about it being too salty with the capers and olives, feel free to cut back on the salt and add more to taste before serving if necessary). Hope that helps!