Chicken Marbella

Make this exciting, popular dish at home for special occasions or whenever you want to enjoy a delicious chicken meal!

I’m so excited to share this fantastic recipe for chicken Marbella with you. If you’ve ever had this dish, you know how absolutely out of this world it tastes, thanks to the bold, unique flavors of capers, garlic, prunes, and green olives. It is a mixture of both savory and sweet, briny and sour, with red wine vinegar, white wine, bay leaves, and light brown sugar combining to create a unique sauce and perfectly crusted chicken. If that all sounds strange—believe me, I thought that the first time I had it—you can’t possibly imagine how good it is until you try it.

I’ll never forget that first time. It was at my monthly gourmet club years ago. Each month, the hostess would pick a theme, and the rest of us would bring a dish. I don’t remember who made this, but I looked at it with a wary eye. Now, I love prunes, green olives, and capers, but the combination seemed a bit, well, off. Then I tried it. WOW! Talk about a flavor explosion in your mouth. Luckily, we all used to bring our recipes to dinner, and I couldn’t wait to go home and make it for my family.

Somewhere along the way, in all my excitement, I forgot that I was the only one in my family who liked prunes and enjoyed food that had sweetness in its flavor profile. Let’s say I happily had plenty of leftovers for myself that week. To this day, I make this dish only when I’m the only one eating it, or if I know others at the table like sweet-and-savory meals.

Here’s the thing about this dish—it gives off a fancy appearance and is perfect for any dinner party. In fact, its origins are from The Silver Palate Cookbook, which came out in 1982. The cookbook revolutionized sophisticated cooking, making fancier recipes accessible to home cooks. So, if you didn’t happen to live near the Silver Palate gourmet shop in New York City, you could still enjoy many of their delicious foods straight from your own kitchen.

Helpful hints and tips

Let’s start at the top of the ingredient list for chicken Marbella. Whatever else you do, don’t cut back on the garlic or oregano. Those are signature features of this recipe and are crucial to its taste. Next, don’t omit the prunes, green olives, or capers. Without them, you are not making chicken Marbella. What you can do, if desired, is swap the prunes for dates, as they both provide the required sweetness that caramelizes during cooking. Red wine vinegar, bay leaves, and olive oil are essential to the marinade, providing the flavors the chicken needs. When preparing the dish for the oven, you can substitute chicken broth for the dry white wine.

Now that we have the marinade ingredients, let’s discuss the chicken. We’ve used chicken thighs in our recipe, so they cook at the same time. You can make this dish with all thighs, breasts, wings, or drumsticks, or an entire cut-up chicken. If you use multiple types of bone-in chicken pieces, check their doneness and remove them once they reach 165°F. Some pieces may take longer to cook than others, and you don’t want to leave any to overcook and dry out. Finally, if desired, you can substitute coconut sugar or date sugar for the brown sugar. While it’s not in the original recipe and will provide a slight difference in the taste, they work equally well. I don’t use regular sweeteners and have found these two to substitute well for brown sugar in recipes.

How do I store leftovers?

Allow leftover chicken Marbella to cool to room temperature, but for food safety, don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Once chilled, you can also transfer leftovers to a freezer-safe container or zippered bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. Defrost the chicken overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat it on the stove or in a 350°F oven until warmed through.

Serving suggestions

Serve chicken Marbella with dishes like Boiled Potatoes, Lemon Couscous, Instant-Pot Quinoa, or Italian Rice. Delicious vegetable sides for this entrée include Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Fried Green Beans, and Steamed Asparagus. Make this Sourdough Focaccia Recipe or Gluten-Free Focaccia Recipe to serve warm on the side with this delicious meal.