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 love this dish and have made it many times. Wondering if anyone has taken it to an outdoor picnic. It will be “forks/spoons only” so I wonder if I could just cut the pieces bite sized? Perhaps better to make it with boneless breasts then? Already made the bread for dipping afterward!
I love chicken Marbella…I make it all the time! Yours looks great! 🙂
Jen, the chicken marbella recipe is wonderful, it does make quite a bit of wonderful sauce, however, a bit too much.
what else can I do with it, soup possibly?
definitely want to save it.
thank you.
Eva
Hi Eva, I think it would be delicious over pasta for another meal.
Love this recipe…my mother makes it every year. What kind of pan do you use’; more specifically, what depth? Thanks!
Hi Sarah, I use a standard 9 x 13-inch baking dish; it’s about 2 inches deep.
The Chicken Marbella is absolutely delicious! I’m making it for the second time and every ingredient is absolutely perfect for this dish!!
Jenn – I actually found your blog while doing an internet/pinterest search for this exact recipe 3+ years ago! One of my best friends Mom’s made this dish for me and your recipe was dead on perfect! Although not typical ingredients I cook with (prunes, olives, capers) they work wonderfully together! Love to pair with a nice rice pilaf or mashed potato to soak up the wonderful sauce. This reminds me, it’s time to make again!
Hi Jenn,
I have enjoyed your recipes over the last couple of years and always look forward to seeing “what’s new”. I have a question about the Chicken Marbella. Since it will seem to have some very distinctive flavors, what side dish/dishes do you recommend to go along with it?
Thank you.
Penny
Hi Penny, Thank you! I always serve this dish with a simple rice pilaf and green beans (see my French green bean recipe on the site). Hope that helps!
Jenn, this recipe looks so very interesting. I’ve got a pretty good sense of how ingredients combined will taste, but I need specifics…i.e. pitted prunes (dried or canned?), “a bit of caper juice”..(how much?), “Spanish olives” (pitted?, from a jar or an olive bar?, pimentos or none?.
Thanks for your reply.
Hi Cheryl, Sure — you need dried prunes, about 1 tablespoon caper juice and pitted Spanish or Greek green olives from an olive bar (no pimentos). Hope that helps!
Can these recipe be made with chicken thighs instead of a whole cut up chicken?
Hi Janet, Absolutely; it will be even better.
Thanks Jenn. How many pounds of chicken thighs would you use (I’m assuming you recommend getting bone in/skin-on thighs, though I don’t like skin)?
You’ll need 4-5 pounds, or 12-14 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs. I would definitely cook the chicken with the skin on, as it adds a lot of flavor, but it’s fine to remove it before serving.
Yesterday I was preparing the marinade for FOUR chickens (per the Silver Palatte’s original recipe) for a party I was going to. Just as I was about to toss the chicken with the ingredients I learned that the party – scheduled for the following day – had been postponed for a week. Two questions: (1) can I freeze the marinade? I hate to waste it and hope I can just thaw it, then toss with the olives and prunes, meat etc..next week; (2) I froze the chicken parts. What’s the best way to defrost them? I appreciate your input. P.S.: should I leave chicken skins on or off?
Hi Rebecca, Yes, you can freeze the marinade. I would start defrosting the chicken in the fridge a day or two before you need to marinade it; it will take a while to thaw. As for the skin, I would definitely leave it on; it will add flavor and keep the meat from drying out during the cooking process. You can always remove it before serving if you like. Hope that helps!
Thank you for taking the time to respond and help me…I’m grateful.