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 -
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.
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.
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