Chicken Marbella

Anything even remotely sounding like Spanish food is definitely going to peak my interest. So when I found this recipe for chicken Marbella, I knew I definitely had to try it. The name, as you would guess, was inspired by Spanish and North African foods and ingredients found around Marbella, Spain and North Africa.

Chicken Marbella was created by the owners of The Silver Palate in New York in the 1970’s. The dish features a unique combination of ingredients, including prunes, olives, capers, garlic, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, and white wine. We’ve been to Marbella and dived there too. I LOVE Marbella, but then again, I also absolutely LOVE all of Spain! 🙂

Chicken Marbella

I made my olive paste first. I know I had prunes, but of course, on the rare occasion that I wanted to use them, I couldn’t find them. I used figs instead of prunes, which I actually prefer anyway. So you can use either, and the recipe will turn out very good indeed. The original recipe also called for anchovies, but I HATE anchovies, and NEVER use them. So needless to say, they were not a part of my recipe either. 🙂

The Paste

1/3 cup pitted green olives

1/2 cup soft figs

3-4 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP garlic

1/2 tsp dried oregano

salt & pepper to taste

pinch of red pepper flakes, or to taste

Put everything into the food processor and process until it becomes a chunky paste. You can make this up to 24 hours in advance too, and just keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use.

The Chicken

2 1/2-3 lbs chicken

salt & pepper to taste

1 TBSP olive oil + more for cooking the chicken

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup pitted green olives, cut in half

1 TBSP capers, rinsed

1/3 cup soft figs, chopped

1/4 cup Peruvian peppers, optional

butter

1 tsp red wine vinegar

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then coat with salt, pepper and olive oil on both sides. I used lemon olive oil to give it a little extra umph.

Preheat the oven to 400*F or 205*C.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

Get a very large skillet very hot and add olive oil and butter to brown the chicken completely. Cook for about 8-10 minutes.

Drain off the excess fat from the skillet, then add about 1/3 cup of the olive paste to the skillet, and cook for about 2 more minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine, and let cook for an additional 2 minutes, then add the broth, olives, capers and figs.

My figs needed reconstituting, so I just soaked them in a little wine, and added the whole thing to my mixture. I also added Peruvian peppers to the mix as well.

Combine everything together in the prepared baking dish and re-add the chicken. Bake uncovered for about 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked and the internal temperature reaches about 160*F or 71*C.

Keeping in the Spanish/North African themes, I served it over couscous. I also added some sauteed crookneck squash, shallots, garlic and more Peruvian peppers on the side, for more vegetables, and added some warmed sourdough bread and a cool, crisp chardonnay on the side too. A Spanish Albarino would be perfect, but I didn’t have any on hand. I topped it with a little chopped cilantro and green onions.

!Esta mui bueno y delicioso! This is definitely something you would find all throughout Southern Spain and Northern African, particularly around Cueta (been there too) and Morocco. If you like Spanish foods, I guarantee you are going to like this dish.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.