Chicken Marbella-a real CROWd pleaser

riane — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:30:00 +0000

This dish yields a fair amount of servings, and makes for great leftovers, however, it can be easily adapted to better suite a smaller crowd.

Chicken Marbella:

4 chickens, 2 1/2 pounds each, quartered

1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed
1/4 cup dried oregano
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup Italian parsley of fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

1. In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper
and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, marinate, refrigerated,
overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350F.

3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow
baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken
pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

4. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan
juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at
their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice.

5. With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers
to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and
sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining pan
juices in a sauceboat.

6. To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in
cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If chicken
has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room
temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over
chicken.

(16 pieces, 10 or more portions)
* The overnight marination is essential to the moistness of the
finished product: the chicken keeps and even improves over several
days of refrigeration; it travels well and makes excellent picnic
fare.
It’s good hot or at room temperature. When prepared with small
drumsticks and wings, it makes a delicious hors d’oeuvre.
Since Chicken Marbella is such a spectacular party dish, we give
quantities to serve 10 to 12, but, as mentioned before, the recipe can successfully be
divided to make a smaller amount if you wish.

Crows in the Kitchen » spanish olives

Chicken Marbella-a real CROWd pleaser