Chicken Marbella

Traditional chicken Marbella is a baked chicken dish that incorporates both sweet and savory flavors; sweet dates, white wine, briny olives, capers, garlic and fresh herbs.  It may seem like an unusual combination of ingredients but this dish is really delicious!  All the flavors meld together and balance each other out.  We use our Sticky Date Candied Orange Chutney in this dish because it already incorporates the dates, brown sugar, and vinegar which are used in the traditional recipe and adds an extra oomph of flavor.

Ingredients:

1 Package Chicken Drumsticks (about 5-6 drumsticks)

4 lb Package Bone In Chicken Thighs 

1/2 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

1/4 Cup Good Olive Oil

1/4 Cup of Capers and Juice

6 Cloves Garlic Chopped

1/4 Cup Dried Oregano

1 Cup Green Olives (Castelvetrano or Cerignola Olive) (about 24 - remove pits)

1 Jar Wozz! Sticky Date Candied Orange Chutney

1/2 Cup White Wine

6 Bay Leaves

2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Pepper

Chopped Parsley (for garnish)

Chicken Marbella Recipe: 

1. Preheat Oven To 350 Degrees F

2. Prepare Chicken

Remove chicken from packages.  Trim pieces of any excess fat and skin. Run the tip of a sharp knife along the bone to expose the bone but leaving the bone intact. This will help the marinade infuse and flavor the chicken and speed up cooking time.  Pat dry and season with salt and pepper.

3. Make your Marinade

Combine all ingredients (except white wine and parsley) and marinade the partially deboned chicken pieces in a suitably sized container, bowl, or snap lock bag.  Return to the refrigerator and marinade 4 hours or preferably overnight 

4.  Prepare For Baking

Line a deep baking dish with parchment paper, remove the chicken and marinade into the baking dish, arranging the chicken skin side up. 
Add the white wine to the side, but not over the chicken

5. Bake Chicken

Bake at 350°F for 1hr 15 min, basting at the 45 minute mark.

(for a little extra color if necessary, increase temperature to 425°F for the last 15 minutes, which we did not do for this photo)

6.  Serve

Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving dish, and sprinkle with your preferred fresh herb (we used parsley).  Serve with your favorite starch and vegetable.