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Yotam Ottolenghi does The Silver Palate’s Chicken Marbella.

 I bought a copy of the Silver Palate cookbook on one of my first trips to the USA many, many moons ago. It is a timeless classic. Over the years I cooked many dishes from it but never tried the legendary Chicken Marbella.

It took Yotam Ottolenghi to bring it to my attention. His version, as included below, cuts down on the sugar, but is in most other ways very true to the original. I made it for the first time the other night, it was absolutely  delicious and ridiculously easy to make



The recipe


This chicken Marbella is a dish I regularly cook for friends. All the work is done in advance – you can marinate it for up to 2 days in the fridge – and then it’s just into the baking tray and into the oven when you’re ready. The chicken loves the long marination but it can also be cooked straight away, if you don’t have the time. If you’re going to do this, just season the chicken with the teaspoon of salt and pepper (which would otherwise go into the marinade), rub it thoroughly into the skin before combining it with the rest of the marinade ingredients (no more salt required) and bake according to the recipe. I like to use chicken legs but others prefer chicken supremes, on the bone, which also work very well. 


Ingredients

  • 12 chicken thighs or 8 legs (2kg), skin on and scored 2-3 times
  • 5 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 15g fresh oregano, plus extra to serve
  • 45ml red wine vinegar
  • 45ml olive oil
  • 100g pitted green olives
  • 60g capers, plus 2 tbsp of their juices
  • 120g Medjool dates, pitted and quartered lengthways (I used pitted prunes)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 120ml dry white wine
  • 3 tsp date molasses (or treacle)


Method

  • Place chicken in a large, non-reactive bowl and add all remaining ingredients except the wine and molasses, along with 1 tsp salt and a good grind of pepper. Gently mix together, cover the bowl and refrigerate to marinate for 1-2 days, stirring occasionally. 
  • Preheat the oven to 200°C. Spread the chicken in a high-sided baking tray along with all the marinade ingredients. Whisk together the wine and molasses and pour mixture over the meat. Bake for 50 minutes, basting occasionally, until chicken is golden-brown and cooked through. 
  • Transfer everything to a large platter, sprinkle with extra oregano and serve.

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