Chicken Marbella

Chicken Marbella is a Spanish-style chicken dish that is a beautiful and complex balance of salty, sour, and sweet flavors. It’s just as crave-worthy and deceptively easy as it was back in the 80’s.

This classic recipe is a delicious nod to the ‘Silver Palate Cookbook’ from the late Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso and was the ‘go-to’ dinner party recipe in the 1980s.

It can be enjoyed warm or room temperature, making it perfect for elegant picnics under the stars.

Chicken Marbella

The Silver Palate cookbook was the very first cookbook I ever bought, and still own and use it to this day. Every home cook should own a copy of this wonderful book. The chicken Marbella recipe is one of many that I have made over and over again.

It’s also the recipe that I made for a special date with the man who would become my husband. He claimed it was the amazing, tender chicken with the fruit that pushed him over the edge. Many years later, it’s still one of his favorites.

I can’t verify the validity of his claim, but I can say that every time I have served this classic recipe, everyone loved it and usually requested the recipe. 

What Is The Origin Of Chicken Marbella?

Chicken Marbella is a culinary gift given to the world by Sheila Lukins in 1977 when she opened a small, unassuming take-out shop on the Upper East Side of New York City and added this dish to the menu. It was an instant hit.

The recipe really became infamous when together with Julee Russo, she published the recipe in the Silver Palate cookbook.

The recipe was recreated by Yotam Ottolenghi for his cookbook, ‘Simple.’ He used whole chicken legs and replaced the prunes with dates and the brown sugar for molasses.

Ina Garten also reprised the recipe as well. She stuck pretty close to the original, but reduced the brown sugar to 1/4 cup.

Chicken Marbella became a 1980s dinner party staple, especially for Easter, Passover, and Shabbat dinners. It’s still a favorite today!

Ingredients Needed

Olive oil – use a good quality olive oil. (I like this brand.) The oil adds richness and flavor, so taste does matter in this recipe.

Red wine vinegar – adds flavor and acidity to the marinade. 

Prunes – buy pitted to make it easier on you! The prunes add a mild, earthy sweetness. They melt a good bit as they cook. You can also chop them so they melt down even more.

Spanish green olives – with or without pimentos. The olives add a salty, briny flavor. You can use them whole, halved, or chopped. I like using some whole, and others cut in half.

Capers – adds a salty pop to the marinade. You’ll need a bit of the juice, too. Capers are an integral part of the recipe and are needed for flavor and umami.

Bay leaves – dried bay leaves add a lovely herbal note to the marinade. Be sure to fish out the bay leaves before serving.

Garlic – I used minced garlic, but the original recipe called for the garlic cloves to be pureed. The garlic adds flavor.

Dried oregano – this provides that ‘Mediterranean’ flavor.

Salt – use your own judgement on the salt because the capers and olives are both salty. 

Freshly ground pepper

Whole chickens – cut into quarters or pieces. I like to remove the skin, but you can leave the skin on.

White wine: I like using a buttery chardonnay, but any white wine you enjoy will work in this recipe.

Brown sugar – this is sprinkled on the chicken just before roasting. It gives the chicken a beautiful, burnished color and sweetness to the sauce.

Fresh parsley – for color and garnish.

Steps To Make This Recipe

This recipe is deceptively easy. The marinade is made one day and the chicken is roasted the next. The dish only looks (and tastes) elegant and involved.

1. Make the marinade and add the chicken. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. The longer the better.
2. Lay the chicken in a single layer in a roasting pan. Pour in the marinade and sprinkle the chicken with brown sugar.
3. Pour the wine into the roasting pan.
4. Roast until the chicken in fork tender – abot 1.5 hours.
5. Remove the chicken to a servig platter and reduce the pan sauce slightly.
6. Spoon the sauc over the chicken and garnish with parsley.

Tips And Substitutions

• Marinating the chicken is essential to the full bodied flavor and tender chicken this dish is known for.
• If you can find it, using air-chilled whole chickens is a great choice. Air chilled doesn’t use water to chill the chicken, which keeps the marinade from getting watered down and thus allows deeper flavor in the chicken. Alternatively, place your chickens on a rack over a baking pan for a few hours in your refrigerator so some of the water can drain away from the chicken.
• You can use all chicken thighs, drumsticks, or breasts – bone in or boneless. If using bone in breasts, cut them in half so they cook evenly.
• Swap the prunes for dried figs, dates or dried apricots. If the fruit is leathery, soak them in warm water first.
• Thyme and rosemary can be used to replace some of the oregano.
• You can use chicken broth to replace the white wine.
• If using skin on chicken and would like a crispier skin, place the roasted chicken onto a bakig shet and place under the broiler for a few minutes. Be sure to keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn.

What Sides To Serve With the Chicken?

• Fruit And Nut Winter Salad
• Israeli Salad
• Fennel And Orange Salad With Champagne Vinaigrette
• Easy Sugar Snap Peas
• Sauteed Green Peas
• Easy Sauteed Broccolini
• Mediterranean Orzo Salad
• Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad
• Basic Biryani Rice
• Garlic Chive Mashed Cauliflower
• Brown Butter Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti Squash
• Oven Asparagus Risotto

Print