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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I’m always looking for new flavor combinations and this recipe hit the criteria. When I read the ingredients prunes, green olives, caper, garlic, my first thoughts were “yuck, ewww, hmmmm, interesting.” My curiosity got the better of me and I had to make it. It was a flavor explosion! the prunes were delicious sweet bombs in the savory sauce from the olives, garlic and capers. The chicken was moist and delicious. I don’t like olives, at all and couldn’t chew and swallow them but the flavor they added to the meal was undeniable. This is a keeper and sharing recipe.
Can this be made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts? If so , any changes in quantities or ingredients or in cooking time? I saw your previous comment about the skin adding flavor, but boneless, skinless is so much easier to manage for guests at a dinner party!
Hi Laurie, The recipe really won’t work with boneless breasts – sorry! But you might try this recipe on Epicurious, which is similar. Hope that helps!
This is wonderful!! Tried it last night and we both loved it. Can’t wait until we have the leftovers. Thank you for another outstanding recipe. Looking forward to your cookbook.
Love both you and your website..can hardly wait for to purchase an autographed (I hope) copy of your cookbook. My question, Can I bake the day before and just reheat as I would love to serve this to company, but will be walking in the door just a short time before them?. If so, reheat at what temperature and for how long>
Thanks for the nice words Carol! And, it’s fine to make this ahead, just reheat, covered, in a 350°F oven until heated through.
I’m so glad you posted this recipe. I, too, made it many times using the Silver Palate Cookbook. It’s been so many years I forgot all about it. I’m going to make it this weekend. Can’t wait!
Hi ,
i was wondering can we make this recipe with no skin chicken thighs?
Your recipes are wonderful, thank you for sharing,
Nathalie
Hi Nathalie, you can use skinless chicken thighs, but the skin adds so much flavor – If possible, I would suggest cooking the chicken with the skin on and removing it before serving.
Hi Jen,
I’m making this for a crowd on Friday and wanted to know if a large aluminum pan will work the same as baking dishes that you use. I just want to make sure there wouldn’t be any chemical reaction letting the chicken parts marinate in the foil.
Thanks so much!
Hi Abbie, I don’t think there should be any problem with marinating the chicken in the aluminum pan, but just to be safe, you could use large ziplock bags instead. Hope everyone enjoys!
Chicken Marbella…. Delicious! Made with orzo… Who knew chicken, prunes, capers and olives combined could taste so wonderful!!!
I’m not a wine drinker, so I don’t know what would work best in the recipe. Please give a few suggestions for a good wine to use. Thank you!
Hi Paula, Any inexpensive white wine would be perfectly fine to use. Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio are good options. Hope you enjoy!
I just realized that the chicken is supposed to marinate overnight and I only have about 4-5 hours for marinating time. Should I still make it? Or wait until another time when I can give it the full overnight marinade? Thanks!
It will still be tasty Pam, but will just absorb a little less of the flavors.
Thank you, Jenn! I decided to wait until later this week because I have never made this and, from all the rave reviews, it is clearly worth the overnight marinating time.
I made this dish starting in the morning and marinating only for 6 hours. It was still fantastic.