Ottolenghi’s Simple: Chicken Marbella
September 10, 2018
In the early '80s, Chicken Marbella, became a staple of New York dinner parties, especially for Passover Seders. It is so easy and incredibly delicious. The quintessential recipe came from The Silver Palate Cookbook, which was one of the most popular books in the '80s. This version of Chicken Marbella is from Yotam Ottolenghi's new cookbook Simple. Instead of prunes he uses dates, molasses instead of brown sugar and replaces the parsley with fresh oregano.
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 55 mins
- Yields: 4 - 6 Servings
Ingredients
8 chicken legs, drumstick and thigh attached, skin on and scored 3 or 4 times to the bone
5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
¾ cup fresh oregano, picked, plus extra to serve
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons capers, plus 2 tablespoons of their juices
16 Medjool dates, pitted and quartered lengthways
Directions
1Place the chicken in a large, non-reactive bowl and add all the remaining ingredients, apart from the wine and date molasses, along with 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Gently mix everything together, cover the bowl and leave in the fridge to marinate for 1 - 2 days, stirring the ingredients a few times during the process.
2Preheat the oven to 400° F.
3Spread the chicken legs out on a high-sided medium baking tray, along with all the marinade ingredients. Whisk together the wine and molasses and pour over the meat. Place in the oven and cook for 50 minutes, basting two or three times, until the meat is golden-brown on top and cooked through.
4Remove from the oven, transfer everything to a large platter, sprinkle over some freshly picked oregano leaves and serve.
Recipe from Ottolenghi's Simple
Sharon McGagh
September 11, 2018
This is one of Gina’s favourite dishes, she makes it all the time, however we do use the original prunes. It is so delicious served with couscous.