This recipe for Chicken Marbella comes from "The Silver Palate" cookbook by Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso. It's one of the best chicken recipes you'll try, with so many complex and unique flavors coming from the prunes, apricots, olives and capers. The addition of a bit of brown sugar gives it that sweet and savory umami that's impossible to resist.
2tablespoonsfresh Italian parsley or cilantro leavesfinely chopped
Instructions
In a large bowl combine garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers with caper juice, and bay leaves. Add the chicken pieces and coat completely with the marinade. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, several hours or overnight.
Grilling Method: When it's time to cook, preheat your grill for indirect heat. This means setting up your grill with two heat zones: a direct heat zone on one side and an indirect heat zone on the other. To achieve this, turn on only one burner on your gas grill, or light only half of the charcoal on a charcoal grill. Once your grill is preheated, transfer the marinated chicken pieces to a casserole dish suitable for indirect grilling. Place the casserole dish on the indirect heat side of the grill.
Oven Method: Preheat oven to 350°F. 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.
Cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with the pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest point, yield clear yellow juice (not pink).
With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Add some of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Serve remaining juice in a gravy boat.