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Chicken Marbella - Roast chicken with dates, olives and capers.


I made this recipe recently on the reccomendation of fellow cookery nerd, Will Saunders, it’s from the book 'Simple' by Yotam Ottolenghi. It was also a bit of a blast from the past for me, not because I had made it before, but because in the recipe Yotam references the Silver palate Cookbook which is something I have owned ever since I got interested in cooking.
This is real comfort food perfect to make ahead and just bung in the oven when you want to eat ..... here's the recipe.
btw I got my date syrup from Sous chef which is a great online source for unusual ingredients

The Silver Palate, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, is one of the best cookbooks I know and a classic of the 1980s, listing recipes from the first modern quality take-out food shop in New York. Many of the dishes in the book have become legendary. One of them, Chicken Marbella, is the inspiration for this recipe. The chicken needs marinading for at least a day, preferably two, to soften and flavour properly; I wouldn’t cut corners here. Serves four, generously

Ingredients

8 chicken legs, drumstick and thigh attached, skin on (2kg net)
5 garlic cloves, crushed
15g fresh oregano, torn, plus extra for garnish
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
100g pitted green olives
60g capers, plus 2 tbsp of their juices
70g, pitted and quartered lengthways Medjoul dates
2 bay leaves
120ml dry white wine
1 tbsp date syrup or treacle
Salt and black pepper
Spread out the chicken legs on a large baking tray, along with all the marinade ingredients. Whisk together the wine and molasses and pour over the meat. 
Remove from the oven, transfer everything to a large platter, sprinkle over some freshly picked oregano leaves and serve.

Method

Place the chicken in a large, non-reactive bowl and add all of the ingredients, apart from the wine and date molasses, along with ¾ 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 to 2 days, stirring the ingredients a few times during the process.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Place in the oven and cook for 50 minutes, basting 2 or 3 times, until the meat is golden brown on top and cooked through.

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