Angela DealeChicken Marbella--a modern classic in American cuisine
Salty capers, briny olives, and sticky sweet prunes--for most people, either you love 'em or you hate 'em. I happen to love them, but the boys I cook for decidedly do not. I was therefore taking a slight risk in cooking the Silver Palate's Chicken Marbella for dinner one night; however, the intriguing list of ingredients for this dish convinced me that the end result would be interesting. As it turned out, the boys liked it, and didn't pick out even a single caper. I call that success!
In the 1980s, the Silver Palate was a gourmet food shop located in upscale Manhattan, New York. According to the Silver Palate website,
The Silver Palate has since expanded into a line of condiments and sauces, cookbooks, and other culinary products.
Chicken Marbella is a saucy, tangy, and utterly American (with perhaps Italian or Spanish influences?) dish that was, by all accounts, a dinner party staple a few decades ago. It's probably not as popular these days; indeed, it was after reading on the internet a disparaging comment about Chicken Marbella that I decided to try making it. Perverse, I know.
Instead of a whole chicken, I used skinless boneless chicken breasts. Though the meat turned out tender and moist, I think I'll try chicken quarters or a whole chicken next time--the flavours would be excellent on roasted, crispy chicken skin. Yum!
The following recipe is taken straight from the Silver Palate cookbook.
Ingredients (serves 10-12; I scaled this recipe for 4 servings)
*I made minor changes because of what I had on hand: I used chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces, minced the garlic instead of pureeing, used black olives instead of green, reduced the sugar a bit, cut the prunes in half before adding to the marinade, and used cilantro.
Preparation
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 juices over chicken.
In the 1980s, the Silver Palate was a gourmet food shop located in upscale Manhattan, New York. According to the Silver Palate website,
the shop's gem-like offerings - from tempting salads to whole meals and heavenly desserts - quickly attracted customers from far and wide. The spot became a refuge for harried executives, neighborhood couples, families and solitary diners who yearned for exciting, honest foods but who didn't have lots of time to prepare them.
The Silver Palate has since expanded into a line of condiments and sauces, cookbooks, and other culinary products.
Chicken Marbella is a saucy, tangy, and utterly American (with perhaps Italian or Spanish influences?) dish that was, by all accounts, a dinner party staple a few decades ago. It's probably not as popular these days; indeed, it was after reading on the internet a disparaging comment about Chicken Marbella that I decided to try making it. Perverse, I know.
The following recipe is taken straight from the Silver Palate cookbook.
Ingredients (serves 10-12; I scaled this recipe for 4 servings)
- 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 or fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped*
*I made minor changes because of what I had on hand: I used chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces, minced the garlic instead of pureeing, used black olives instead of green, reduced the sugar a bit, cut the prunes in half before adding to the marinade, and used cilantro.
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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 juices over chicken.
