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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Hey There Jenn!
I’m about to make this later today for dinner, it’s still marinating in the fridge. I’m so excited to taste this after reading all your rave reviews!!! Here’s my question, I’ve got all the ingredients in the marinade, but I just realized I ALSO happened to have some dried cherries, you think it’d be ok to add a small amount to the marinade, and it’d still taste great?! Or no?
Thanks for your quick reply!
Gigi B.
Hi Gigi, Go for it – should be delicious. 🙂
Will DO! Thanks so much Jenn!!
I have made this several times. I love it so much! Most of the time I just buy a whole chicken cut up. Recently, I am using Truvia sugar substitute, because I can not eat much sugar. It is still delicious!!
I have made the Moroccan Chicken Tagine which was delicious though I only put in 2 finely chopped garlic cloves as I’m not keen on too much garlic.
Looking forward to making this one but again I shall have to reduce the amount of garlic so hopefully if won’t spoil the flavour.
Made this for Christmas dinner last year and it was fabulous! Going to making it again this year.
How do you think this would be served over creamy polenta? And could I use boneless chicken breasts?
I think this would be delicious served over polenta, but unfortunately, the recipe really won’t work with boneless breasts.
The recipe works perfectly for boneless breasts (i cut in half). Been making this recipe for 25 years. Perfect! Add large family style zatarans dirty rice to the dish and serve all mixed together , its the best!
All I can find for prunes is “dried pitted prunes”. Will they work okay here? Thank you! Your recipes are consistently outstanding!
Yes, that’s exactly what you want! Hope you enjoy the chicken (and so glad you like the recipes)!
I have the original Silver Palate cookbook, but use your adaption. This is such an easy dish to make, and I always recommend it (and your website) to less experienced cooks.
Your pictures and descriptions are so well organized, they really make cooking accessible.
I am making Chicken Marbella today for an early family dinner. We have a soccer game in the pouring rain to attend, and we will be well fed at least.
Hey Jenn! Big fan of your recipes! You are really truly gifted! I just realized I only have dark brown sugar…will this work?
So glad you like the recipes! Yes, dark brown sugar should be fine — enjoy!
This was amazing! I used 12 boneless skinless thighs. Baked for 40 minutes then let stand for 20 minutes covered with foil. It wasn’t too dry. Served with organic jasmine rice. Will definitely make many more times.
I have made this wonderful dish several times. It gets rave reviews every single time. Can this be made with SKINLESS chicken thighs? Please advise.
Kind regards,
Franca
Sure, Franca, that should work. Please LMK how it turns out!
Hi Jenn,
I made this again last night for dinner. I used skinless chicken thighs and although it was still scrumptious, the chicken thighs were a bit drier. I may continue to use skinless chicken for our family meals, but if I make it for guests I will definitely use chicken with the bone in and skin on. Thank you for this wonderful website and your flawless recipes.
Kind regards,
Franca
Good to know — thanks for reporting back — I think that will be helpful to other readers. 🙂
Making it this way tonight. Did you adjust cooking time or temperature? Thanks, John