AN OLDIE BUT GOODIE – Chicken Marbella

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Hi there,

Remember the 70’s? White suits, Afro’s, (even if you weren’t African American), Bee Gee’s, Abba, Mateus Rose, and Chianti Bottle candles. The top foods for entertaining were:

  • Pineapple Chicken. Basically anything with pineapple was fair game in the 70s due to an increased interest in Hawaiian culture.
  • Quiche. … 
  • Cheese Balls/Logs. … 
  • Carrot Cake. … 
  • Pasta Primavera. … 
  • Stuffed Vegetables and Meat. … 
  • Salad Bars with Ranch and Green Goddess Dressing. … 
  • Crepes
  • Then we grew up and discovered better wine and The Silver Palate Cookbook. We gave up the white suits but kept the music.

As much as I loved Julia, a lot of her recipes were so time-consuming. And as a mother of three young boys, I needed recipes that could be tackled easily. So long before I discovered arugula, pancetta, and pesto, I discovered the Silver Palate Cookbook. And Chicken Marbella became my go-to recipe.

As you can see from the above photo, I have made the recipe mine and made a few changes. So here is my 2022 version of the classic.

Chicken Marbella (updated)

  • ½ cup good olive oil
  • ½ cup good red wine vinegar
  • 1½ cups large pitted prunes, such as Sunsweet
  • 11/2 cups of dried apricots
  • 2 cups of pearl onions
  • 1 cup large green olives, pitted, such as Cerignola
  • ½ cup capers, including the juices (3½ ounces)
  • 6 bay leaves
  • 1½ heads of garlic, cloves separated, peeled, and minced
  • ¼ cup dried oregano
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 (4-pound) Bell and Evans chickens, backs removed and cut in 8 pieces or
  • 1 whole Bell and Evans roaster
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio

Combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, 2 tablespoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken to the marinade. (You can also place the chicken and marinade in a 2-gallon plastic storage bag and squeeze out the air to make sure the chicken is fully covered with the marinade.) Refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally to be sure the marinade is getting into all of the chicken pieces.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken, skin side up, along with the marinade in one layer in a large (15 × 18-inch) roasting pan, sprinkle with the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper, and pour the wine around (not over!) the chicken. Roast for 45 to 55 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken is 145 degrees. Remove the pan from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Transfer the chicken, prunes, apricots, onions, and olives to a serving platter, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot with the pan juices.

28 responses to “AN OLDIE BUT GOODIE – Chicken Marbella”

  1. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen – I'm a writer, cook, gardener, photographer, poet, quilter, and accomplished daydreamer. I'm also a wife, mother, grandmother, sister. cousin, aunt, and friend, no particular order on any given day. I've been a writer all my life, newspaper reporter and columnist, radio news writer, and magazine contributor, and poet and short-story writer as the spirit moves. Now, I turn my attention to my cookbook, the blog, and a cooking column "Memorable Meals," which runs in our county newspaper. Besides my family, I love dogs, cats, good coffee, chocolate, and my never-dwindling pile of books I intend to read. Our family ran a small Vermont Inn for 18 years, with our focus on local, organic ingredients. I cook from scratch, and try not to use anything that has ingredients I cannot pronounce! After many years of daily serving up local delicacies, cooking classes, and catering, we are now only open for special events, and the odd cooking class. We also host musicians and artists, having helped produce a musical festival and other musical events for nearly 20 years. Many incredible artists have found a place at our table. Wonderful experiences, we will treasure always. My family and friends are my practice subjects. With a family that includes nut, peanut, tree fruit, and vegetable allergies, gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, vegetarians, vegans, heart conscious, and a couple of picky eaters, there has to be a few quick tricks in the book to keep everyone fed and happy! Personally, I do not eat red meat or most full-fat dairy (usually) for health reasons, making the occasional exception at Thanksgiving and Christmas or our anniversary if the duck is locally raised. I do eat fish and seafood, so I try to come up with alternatives and substitutions when available. I serve local organic eggs and cheeses to my family who can tolerate dairy (My husband recently had a heart attack, and I need to watch my own cholesterol so I am careful, but have been known to let a little piece of really good cheese accidentally fall on my plate!). I believe strongly that eating in a way that is good for our planet is also good for our bodies, and I try to educated myself about our food sources! I cook by the seasons and draw on inspiration from the strong and talented women in my family who came before me, as well as the youth in the family who look at the world with fresh eyes. Food links us all, whether sharing a meal, cooking it together, or writing about it for others to enjoy. I love taking an old recipe and giving it a modern spin, especially if I can make it a littler healthier and use foods that are kinder to the Earth and to our bodies. I believe strongly in sustainable, delicious eating of whole foods, and the wonderful flavors we have at our fingertips! And finally, I love conversing with all the talented cooks and chefs out there who dot the globe! It's a wonderful, world full of culinary pen pals, and I cherish them all! XXXOOO Dorothy
    Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen says:

    I still have that cookbook sitting on my shelf, Bernie, and I remember that I started making my own salad dressings after I was given the book (my staple before then was Good Seasons with its little cruet!).
    I often made the Chicken Marbella recipe for get-togethers. It’s a good dish, and I love that you roasted the whole chicken!

      • Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen – I'm a writer, cook, gardener, photographer, poet, quilter, and accomplished daydreamer. I'm also a wife, mother, grandmother, sister. cousin, aunt, and friend, no particular order on any given day. I've been a writer all my life, newspaper reporter and columnist, radio news writer, and magazine contributor, and poet and short-story writer as the spirit moves. Now, I turn my attention to my cookbook, the blog, and a cooking column "Memorable Meals," which runs in our county newspaper. Besides my family, I love dogs, cats, good coffee, chocolate, and my never-dwindling pile of books I intend to read. Our family ran a small Vermont Inn for 18 years, with our focus on local, organic ingredients. I cook from scratch, and try not to use anything that has ingredients I cannot pronounce! After many years of daily serving up local delicacies, cooking classes, and catering, we are now only open for special events, and the odd cooking class. We also host musicians and artists, having helped produce a musical festival and other musical events for nearly 20 years. Many incredible artists have found a place at our table. Wonderful experiences, we will treasure always. My family and friends are my practice subjects. With a family that includes nut, peanut, tree fruit, and vegetable allergies, gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, vegetarians, vegans, heart conscious, and a couple of picky eaters, there has to be a few quick tricks in the book to keep everyone fed and happy! Personally, I do not eat red meat or most full-fat dairy (usually) for health reasons, making the occasional exception at Thanksgiving and Christmas or our anniversary if the duck is locally raised. I do eat fish and seafood, so I try to come up with alternatives and substitutions when available. I serve local organic eggs and cheeses to my family who can tolerate dairy (My husband recently had a heart attack, and I need to watch my own cholesterol so I am careful, but have been known to let a little piece of really good cheese accidentally fall on my plate!). I believe strongly that eating in a way that is good for our planet is also good for our bodies, and I try to educated myself about our food sources! I cook by the seasons and draw on inspiration from the strong and talented women in my family who came before me, as well as the youth in the family who look at the world with fresh eyes. Food links us all, whether sharing a meal, cooking it together, or writing about it for others to enjoy. I love taking an old recipe and giving it a modern spin, especially if I can make it a littler healthier and use foods that are kinder to the Earth and to our bodies. I believe strongly in sustainable, delicious eating of whole foods, and the wonderful flavors we have at our fingertips! And finally, I love conversing with all the talented cooks and chefs out there who dot the globe! It's a wonderful, world full of culinary pen pals, and I cherish them all! XXXOOO Dorothy
        Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen says:

        Way back at the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius!

  2. I have never had Chicken Marbella…it surely looks very juicy, flavourful and undoubtedly delicious.

  3. Everyone should have at least one recipe that feels like your signature, and it sounds like this is the one for you. I love everything in it! You have the whole agrodolce thing going on with the dried fruit mixed with olives and the wine. Mmm… just let me know what day you’re making this, and Les and I will high-tail it up there with a bottle of wine!!

  4. V.M.Sang – UK – I was born and educated in the north west of England. I trained as a teacher in Manchester and taught in Salford, Lancashire, Hampshire and Croydon. I write fantasy novels currently. I also make cards, knit, crochet, tat, do cross stitch and paint. I enjoy walking on the Downs, cycling and kayaking. I do not enjoy housework, but like cooking.
    V.M.Sang says:

    Gosh! I’d forgotten all about Chicken Marbella. I must make it SOON! Thanks for your 2022 version.

  5. D. Wallace Peach – 30 Miles beyond the edge of civilization, Oregon – I'm an adventurer in writing, peering under rocks in my garden for secret magic. I can't stop writing. My stories want to explode from my head. They demand my attention and surge from my fingertips faster than I can put them to paper. I love what I do.
    D. Wallace Peach says:

    What an interesting combination of ingredients, Bernadette. I would never have thought they’d go together. Of course, now I have to try it. Thanks for the groovy recipe. Lol 🙂

  6. debrapurdykong – British Columbia, Canada – I'm a British Columbia author who's been writing for over 30 years. My volunteer experiences, criminology diploma, and security work inspired me to write the Casey Holland transit security novels set in Metro Vancouver. I'm also a part-time facilitator in Creative Writing Workshops through Port Moody's Recreation program. Feel free to contact me at dpurdykong@gmail.com
    debrapurdykong says:

    This looks delicious! Yes, Julia Child was too overwhelming for me, too.

  7. Chef Mimi – As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!
    Chef Mimi says:

    I never got into the silver spoon cookbooks, but I know people loved them! And I’ve never heard of chicken Marbella but it’s very appealing!

  8. Bern, I love this cookbook, but must confess I never made the Chicken Marbella recipe. Having to mince all that garlic always steered me in a different direction. But it looks so good in your photo. I’ll have to reconsider!

  9. the Painted Apron – Life is all about creativity for me, as long as I'm creating something I am happy! I hope I will inspire your daily life and give you ideas for your own wonderful creations!
    Jenna says:

    What a lovely stroll down memory lane! I used to love Mateus Rose 😂 Your chicken dish is magazine worthy!

  10. Hi Bernadette, I’ve never head of this dish before. It sounds delicious.

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