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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Loved the chicken marbella recipe but when I doubled the amount of capers quarter to half a cup I liked it even better, chopped celery leaves worked well also, we added sliced orange kumeras (sweet potatoes) to the mixture before cooking about 500g that allowed them to absorb the magnificent flavours within the Marbella: Thank you for providing such a very lovely exquisitely flavoured easy chicken dish, we are very grateful.
Cheers
I’m a 48 y/o man from the Deep South that has been eating chicken cooked in every imaginable way since I’ve had teeth. I had never heard of chicken Marbella, but when I read the recipe, I knew I had to try it. It was incredible! I highly recommend this recipe!!
Jenn,
Can you tell me a good white wine to use? I’ve always been confused when a recipe calls for white wine, for cooking. Also, do you have a recipe for prime rib and an old fashioned bread pudding? I’ve tried many of your recipes and they have all been a hit!
Kelly 🙂
Hi Kelly, Any inexpensive white wine that you would drink would be perfectly fine to use — honestly, whatever you have around. Just stay away from anything labeled “cooking wine.” I do have a wonderful apple rum raisin bread pudding on the site but not a prime rib – I will work on it 🙂
Hi Jen,
I do have Silver Palate and have made this, but not for a long time, so thanks for the reminder. Also, for people asking what kind of white wine to use, I have taken many cooking classes over the years and my favorite chef taught us a long time ago to keep a bottle of vermouth (white) in our pantry to use for a white wine. Never have to worry about having to make a special trip to the store, and it works in any recipe calling for white wine.
Thanks for all the great recipes and tips and I just saw your children for the first time and they are GORGEOUS!
OMG … Jen, this dish was sooo delicious! Your recipes are making me a SUPER STAR in the kitchen!
I never thought mixing olives, prunes,capers, brown sugar & red wine vinegar would taste so wonderful!
Thanks again for terrific recipes!
So glad you enjoyed it, Patti, but I can’t take the credit. This one is straight from The Silver Palate Cookbook 🙂
Thank you for sharing. I have been looking everywhere for this recipe, I know I packed it away somewhere but could not find it. Best chicken ever.
How much salt and pepper did you add? I think it says to taste?
Hi Karen, I like my food well-seasoned so I would use about 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
I was nervous about making this dish but the step-by-step guide & pictures made it an easy task & my guests enjoyed it so much.
The chicken is tender, juicy & flavourful even after being reheated the next day.
Thanks so much Jenn, your site has truly inspired me & is my go-to whenever I decide to try something new 🙂
Cheers!
I have made this recipe several times. I usually use a combo of thighs and split breasts so that there is some skin on each piece. This recipe is absolutely amazing! I tried it the first time just because of the weird combo of ingredients…I mean who would think olives, capers and prunes??? Preparation takes some time but do it the day before. The flavors are wonderful and the sauce/broth definately needs to go over mashed potatoes or sopped up with bread or drank straight up! Great taste, great recipe. Wouldn’t change a thing.
Just using boneless chicken breasts. How would I change the recipe? How many pounds would I need for 10 people? Can you have too much sauce and can you use white wine that has been frozen?
Hi Lisa, Many years ago Bon Appétit printed a recipe that was based on Chicken Marbella, only using boneless chicken breasts. The Washington Post reprinted it, incorporating suggestions from reader reviews. I’ve made it and it’s very good. Here’s the link:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2008/04/09/pan-braised-chicken-dried-fruits-and-olives/
Hope that helps and please come back and let me know how it comes out. Also, it’s fine to use wine that has been frozen.
…or use whichever pieces are your favorites. if you like just thighs (or breasts), that’s fine, too.