Chicken Marbella

Courtesy of The New York Times

Chicken with dried fruits in wine. That’s basically the recipe that got its fame from The Silver Palate Cookbook first published in 1982. But then cut to 2005 when renowned chef Ferran Adrià, who put the now defunct elBulli on the gastronomical map, gave his version of this chicken dish with dried apricots and sour cherries. In 2018, Israeli-British chef Yotam Ottolenghi produced his latest cookbook, Simple, with his version of the Silver Palate recipe. 

Ottolenghi uses dates instead of the prunes the Palate calls for. Adrià uses port with a cinnamon stick rather than the dry white wine of the Palate recipe. Ottolenghi and Palate call for green olives and capers. Adrià replaces those with citrus zest. Regardless of ancillary ingredients, this is a basic recipe of chicken with dried fruit with a savory foil to balance the sweetness. It is meant to be marinated ahead of time and then cooked in its own juices to further infuse those flavors into the meat. You could switch out the chicken for lamb or pork in this recipe. But I think the chicken is the best canvas for this kind of flavor profile.

While many attribute the recipe to the cuisine of southern Spain and the town of Marbella, it actually has its origins in the Silver Palate. The cookbook’s main recipe creator is co-author Sheila Lukins. She has claimed that the Mediterranean was an inspiration for the dish, but a dish she can call her own. And it was so good, two top chefs put their creative energy into it.

Here’s the recipe I used:

8 chicken thighs

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lime

Juice of 1 orange

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c. dried oregano (or 1/2 c. of fresh oregano)

3 TB pomegranate vinegar

1/2 c. olive oil

3 TB capers

3 TB pine nuts

1/4 c. Medjool dates, quartered

1/4 c. dried cherries

2 bay leaves

1/2 c. dry white wine

2TB parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

In a separate bowl, combine the chicken with 1/4 c. of olive oil along with the lemon and lime juices, bay leaves, and 1/8 c. of the dried oregano. Also add a 1/2 tsp. of salt. Let sit for as little as 2 hours and as much as 24—the longer you marinate the better. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together the vinegar, white wine, orange juice, garlic, and the remainder of the olive oil and dried oregano. In a baking dish, place the marinated chicken and dried fruit. Pour the liquids over the chicken. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Serve immediately on a platter garnished with parsley.