Recipe - meat

Oven Roasted Chicken Marbella

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From Dana’s Table, this rich and comforting Chicken Marbella combines the tangy depth of olives with the subtle sweetness of dried fruit. Made with bone-in chicken breasts—or our premium Jidori chicken breasts with the drumette attached—it’s a perfect dish for a dinner party or holiday gathering.

Ingredients

5 pounds chicken breast with bone in and skin try to get breasts of similar size for even cooking

4 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper to taste

¼ cup dried oregano

6 garlic cloves minced

4 bay leaves

⅓ cup pitted kalamata black olives or can substitute green olives

¼ cup non-pareil jarred capers (not packed in salt and rinsed well), optional

¾ cup pitted prunes optional to cut in half; (can sub with pitted dates)

¾ cup dried apricots (low sulfur if you can find it)

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup red wine vinegar (can substitute white wine vinegar)

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup chicken broth or a little more if needed

1 cup dry white wine

Chopped parsley as garnish, optional

Instructions

Use two baking casseroles or shallow roasting pans or one extra large one. Place chicken in the pan(s) skin side up in a single layer. Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, oregano, and spread of minced garlic. Scatter the bay leaves, olives, capers, prunes, and apricots around the chicken.
Put the liquid ingredients (vinegar, olive oil, broth, and wine) and the sugar in a 4-cup measuring cup or medium bowl. Mix to combine and pour over the chicken. The liquid should come about ¼ or ⅓ the way up the chicken. Add a little more broth if needed.
Marinate covered in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 3 hours.
Before baking, take dish out the the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for up to an hour. You do not want to put a cold dish into the hot oven, or it can break from heat shock.
Cook the chicken in a preheated oven at 350ºF for about 40-50 minutes. If the liquid evaporates while cooking, add a little broth so the remains in the bottom of the pan don't burn.
Use an instant read thermometer to determine doneness. Insert thermometer into the center of the thickest part of the chicken without touching the bone. Chicken is ready when internal temperature reaches 160ºF. (165ºF is recommended by the USDA. Chefs usually recommend 160ºF.) Alternatively, check the firmness of the chicken, and pierce it with point of a knife checking for clear or slightly yellow (not opaque pink) juices to run out.
If the chicken skin is not quite brown enough, run it under the broiler for 1-2 minutes watching carefully so that the chicken does not get too dark.

Notes:

Marinate the chicken 3 hours to overnight if possible. This is optional, but helps infuse the chicken with all that deliciousness.
Don’t put a cold dish into the oven! If you are marinating, make sure to take the dish out of the refrigerator about an hour before you want to start cooking so the dish can come closer to room temperature. Putting a cold dish in a hot oven can cause it to crack