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I do love a traybake. So much so I published an 18 recipe ebook back in 2021 dedicated to traybakes and I wish this Chicken Marbella recipe was in it. Chicken Marbella is an iconic dish from The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins.

The name references Marbella, the chic, sun-drenched Spanish coastal city, evoking a sense of Mediterranean sophistication and the recipe became one of the most celebrated American recipes of the 1980s. And forty years later it is still delicious and such a fab dish for entertaining.

Sweet, salty and tangy, the baked chicken dish became famous for its unusual combination of ingredients. Prunes, olives, capers, oregano, garlic and red wine vinegar somehow working in perfect harmony. It’s no wonder Chicken Marbella became a dinner party staple and now having made it myself, I completely understand why.

I took some inspiration from an Ottolenghi version and replaced the prunes with dates and replaced the white wine with chicken stock. Most recipes I’ve seen call for more sweetness with either added sugar or date syrup but I did not add any as I feel the dates add more than enough sweetness to the dish.

The key step is marinating the chicken. At least 8 hours although 24 hours really delivers the best results. The result is a baked chicken dish that’s genuinely delicious and when paired with a glass of La Motte Syrah, it’s about as close to perfection as you can get. Chicken Marbella finds a wonderfully complementary partner in La Motte Syrah. The wine’s expression of its mountain slope and valley floor terroir brings an elegant complexity that mirrors the dish’s own layered character.

Red berry and mulberry notes give the Syrah its natural fruitiness, while a touch of Durif adds colour, plum and texture. That same abundant fruit that pairs so well with chutneys and berry sauces latches onto the sweetness of the dates in the baked chicken, while the wine’s full body stands up to the briny punch of the olives and capers.

This is the third recipe in a series of four I have created in collaboration with La Motte Wine Estate where I will be pairing new recipes with a newly released wine from their cellar. The recipes have been paid for by La Motte and the wines used were provided at no cost.

If you have missed the first few in the series, do have a look at the deeply satisfying Warm Root Vegetable Salad and the ultimate comforting Oven Baked Polenta with Mushrooms and Crispy Chorizo.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Chicken Marbella. If you’ve made it, do share it with me by tagging and following @heinstirred on Instagram. It is always a treat to see the recipes made and enjoyed.

Chicken Marbella

The iconic dish by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins that became one of the most celebrated American recipes of the 20th century and a staple of dinner parties and gatherings for decades.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 5

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 400 kcal

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs skin on
5 cloves garlic
45 ml red wine vinegar
45 ml olive oil
100 g pitted green olives
60 g capers rinsed in water if salted
100 g dates pitted and quartered
2 bay leaves
a small handful of fresh oregano leaves
freshly ground black pepper
125 ml chicken stock

Instructions

Make 3 cuts to the bone in each piece of chicken
Place the chicken in a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients except for the chicken stock
Use your hands and gently mix everything together, making sure that the marinade gets into the slashes in the chicken
Cover the bowl and leave in the fridge to marinate for 8 hours at least, ideally 24 hours, giving it a stir a few times during marination
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
Place the chicken and all the marinade ingredients in a large roasting dish and spread it out evenly
Pour over the chicken stock
Bake for 50 minutes while basting a few times, until the meat is golden brown on top and cooked through
Taste the liquid to see if the dish requires any salt bearing in mind the capers and olives are salty
Transfer to a large platter, garnish with some freshly picked oregano leaves and serve

Keyword chicken

It’s been a privilege to work with La Motte Wine Estate over the years and this Baked Sausages with Apple and Red Onion has been a popular recipe on the heinstirred since 2020.