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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I want to make the chicken Marbella for 8 people.
Can I use chicken thighs or chicken breasts.
If so how many.
Thank you
Karen Lichkin
Karen.30@sky.com
Hi Karen, You can use any bone-in chicken pieces you like – for 8 I would do 12 pieces just so you have a little extra.
How can this dish have 67 grams of fat per serving!!! I only see olive oil and chicken to make most of the fat grams. Am I missing something?
Hi Marcia – I just recalculated it and there was actually an error – new data has been added. It’s still quite high due to the chicken skin as well as the marinade/sauce. The actual calorie/fat count is likely much lower without the marinade, but since the chicken is cooked in it and it is served as a sauce, it’s included in the nutritional data.
Your instructions say that after marinating the chicken, you should spoon the marinade over the chicken prior to cooking it. I had always heard that you should boil the marinade first to avoid contamination or divide the marinade and use part for marinating and the rest for cooking.
Hi Mary, It’s fine here since it cooks thoroughly with the chicken.
What are some good sides for this dish. I plan on using boneless thighs. I love your recipes. I have to adjust because of my husband being on dialysis.
Hi Rebecca, You could serve it with any roasted vegetable – I love carrots, asparagus, or Brussels sprouts. Rice, couscous, or roasted potatoes all work well too.
I doubled the Chicken Marbella Recipe and ate half and put the other half in the freezer uncooked in the marinade. It is a delicious recipe and my family enjoyed it. Now it the other half is in the freezer in the marinade and has been there for 5 months. I haven’t added the wine or brown sugar as I planned to add it when cooking. My question will it still be good if it has been in the freezer for 5 months?
Hi Peggy, so glad you enjoyed it! I think 5 months is pushing it a bit, but it’s probably still good.
is it possible to make this ahead and freeze it? The day after my son’s wedding, the family is coming over and I’d like to serve Chicken Marabella but I dont see myself marinating the night after returning home from the wedding or early the next morning.
Sure, that would be fine. Enjoy the wedding!
Delicious. I love that on cooking day it is just dump and bake! I used half of the extra liquid to make rice. My family loves this chicken recipe. We all like the “bits of yummy stuff”. Olives/capers/prunes/(and I added dry cherries). Thank you for sharing the recipe. Happy when the good old recipes resurface.
Jenn, I am planning to make this for a group of 25 people next week. Since Meny will be eating off paper plates on their laps, I was thinking boneless would be much easier. Do you think it matters if it’s thighs or breasts? And do you think it would be OK to let it marinate for 48 hours, or is that too much? Thank you!
Hi Peter, if you want to use boneless chicken, I’d definitely go with the thighs as they will be more moist. And I think it would be fine for the chicken to marinate for 48 hours. Hope everyone enjoys!
Made this for tonight’s dinner. I had boneless, skinless chicken breasts readily available so gave that a try. After marinating them overnight, I baked them until the internal temperature was 165 degrees and it turned out delicious! The juices were perfect and we poured the extra over rice.
Hi Jenn! Someone commented previously about using fresh bay leaf vs. dried because the dried falls apart during marinating. I’ve only cooked with dried bay leaf. Can you give me your thoughts? This is a new recipe I’m making for Passover this year!
Thanks so much!
Aycie
Hi Aycie, Dried bay leaves are better for cooking (and I don’t think you’ll find fresh ones at the supermarket). Hope that helps!