Weeknight Sexy Chicken Marbella Recipe (You Don't Need a Passport) by Jan Mostrom

Chicken is one of my favorite go-to ingredients during the week. Meet a new favorite recipe of mine, Chicken Marbella. Despite its name, the dish did not come from Marbella, Spain. The recipe was created by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins from The Silver Palate in New York City in the '70s. It is thought they named the recipe for the sexy Spanish town and it was inspired by the foods of southern Spain and Moroccan tagines.

Photo: Harbor entrance with watchtower and La Concha mountain in Marbella, Spain.

This easy weeknight Marbella chicken recipe was adapted from the famous The Silver Palate Cookbook. Fortunately this skillet chicken recipe is much easier and requires a lot less time and effort – no marinating at all and it is ready for your dinner table in under an hour.

The combination of sweet and salty flavors blends beautifully with the chicken and makes a wonderful sauce to drizzle over the thighs, or to soak up with a biscuit or crusty bread. To make this easy weeknight chicken dinner you will need the following ingredients: chicken thighs, olive oil, fresh garlic, prunes, green olives, capers, bay leaves, oregano, white white, red wine vinegar and optional brown sugar for a little sweetness.

Chicken Marbella has lots of nutrition, too! Check out the health benefits of prunes, the health benefits of olives, the health benefits of capers and the health benefits of protein (chicken tops the list of high-protein foods!). 

Serve this fantastic chicken for dinner with your favorite side dishes. 

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup prunes, pitted
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives, preferably Spanish
• 1/4 cup drained capers plus 1 tablespoon caper brine
• 3 fresh or dried bay leaves
• 1 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional)

Here's how to make it: 

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the chicken, skin side down. (If using skinless thighs just put down on the side the skin would have been on.)
   
2. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the chicken is nice and brown. (Placing a lid on the pan will speed up your cook time and prevent a bit of splatter.) Turn the chicken over and cook for another 5 minutes.
   
3. Turn heat down to medium and add garlic, stirring it around chicken for 1 minute. Place the prunes, olives, bay leaves, capers and brine, and oregano in between the chicken pieces.
   
4. Sprinkle the chicken with brown sugar, if using, a pinch of salt and a bit of pepper. Add the wine and red wine vinegar. Turn heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken to a platter.
   
5. Turn stove back to high heat. Stir the sauce and cook it for 5 more minutes.
   
6. Serve chicken with the sauce drizzled over the top and enjoy! Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave.
   

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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