Chicken Marbella

Thirty some odd years ago, this dish took the country by a storm, and with good reason. It’s pretty to look at, easy to make, and absolutely delicious. The fruit and olive combination is not as novel as it used to be - but the brown sugar crunch on the chicken can still surprise - it sets the dish apart.

And this is a different take. The original uses two chickens, quartered. The brown sugar is rubbed all over the skin - caked on, actually - and after roasting, the skin is incredible. But my wife avoids eating chicken skin - the fact that it is the best part of a chicken notwithstanding. She always removes it and puts it on my plate. For her last birthday she asked me to make Chicken Marbella. And it occurred to me that without that baked-on burst of brown sugar on the skin, she has been missing, all along, what Chicken Marbella is all about.

So, skinless, boneless Marbella it is. And the sugar can bubble and brown directly on the meat. If she thinks she likes it now (so ran my thoughts) just wait till she gets a load of this -

Boneless chicken cooks faster so the cooking time is reduced - and, happily, that’s a good thing: the prunes are little firmer, their texture more pleasing.

There are other departures; please forgive.  

The big thing is, she really liked it.

About 2-3 lbs. boneless, skinless thighs

1/2 C olive oil

1/2 C red wine vinegar

1/3 C capers, drained, with 1 t juice

1 C pitted prunes

1 C olives

1 C dried tomatoes in oil

1 head of roasted garlic, peeled and minced

2 T dried oregano

2 T dried basil

6 bay leaves

1 t salt

1 t black pepper

up to 1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 C dry white wine

Fresh oregano garnish

As for the olives, I typically get the most interesting mix available at the deli’s olive bar - often with a marinade of its own, which might include onion, more garlic, and hot peppers, you name it. I haven’t regretted it yet. It’s a good place to get the dried tomatoes, too, or for that matter the roasted garlic - but it’s easy to make your own.

1. In a large bowl, mix the oil, vinegar, capers, prunes, olives, dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, oregano, basil, bay leaves, salt, pepper and chicken - everything except the brown sugar and the white wine and garnish. Cover and refrigerate at least a few hours, preferably overnight.

2. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.

Arrange the chicken pieces in a shallow roasting pan - a half sheet pan is ideal - and distribute the marinated vegetable and prune mixture with its liquid among the pieces. Then, cover each piece of chicken with about 2 t of brown sugar - probably a total of 1/2 C or so brown sugar.

Cook 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

3. Remove from oven, and carefully pour most of the liquid from the pan into a skillet - and over high heat reduce by at least a third - then taste it. If the flavor is thin, reduce it some more, up to by half. But don’t reduce it too much - you’ll be glad for any extra sauce.

4. Transfer chicken and vegetables to a platter, pour the reduced sauce evenly over it.

Or - you could put the sauce in a gravy boat and do it that way.

Serve with a likely starch - cheese grits, rice, pasta, etc.