Caramelized Chicken with Olives & PrunesPrint Recipe

When I first started my blog many people mentioned their favourite sources of recipes. My friend Kim was one of those and she told me of a great cookbook she had received at Christmas from her sister in Paris – Chocolate and Zucchini. I discovered the author also had a blog and hastened to look through it for any recipes that caught my eye, many did and so many I have yet to try. This one in particular caught my attention. The name had my mouth watering and I had no doubt in my mind it would be a taste sensation. I was set, I was going to cook it and I was going to cook it that evening, that is until I read the recipe and it asked me to marinate the chicken overnight. I hate when that happens!

So after 24 hours of patiently whistling dixie I finally got to sample this sublime sounding dish and it was as I thought it would be – a taste sensation. The sweet, the salty, the delicious caramelised chicken, so tender and moist on the inside and glazed to a golden perfection on the outside.

The original dish ‘Chicken Marbella’ is a recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook. I actually prefer this recipe and in particular the descriptive name change, only because it is so much more enticing.

8 legs of free range chicken (drumsticks and thighs) around 3 kilos/6.5 pounds
130 grams or ¾ cup of green olives
300 grams/10 ounces of pitted prunes, roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 bay leaves
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup of sherry vinegar
3 rounded tablespoons of dried oregano
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
½ cup of dry white wine
1 small bunch of coriander (cilantro)
1/3 cup of sliced almonds, toasted

Start this recipe the night before. In a large bowl combine the chicken, olives, prunes, garlic and bay leaves. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and oregano. Season with pepper and salt. Pour this over the chicken and combine until the marinade coats the chicken thoroughly – use your hands and get it into every crevice. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator an hour before baking to bring to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 180c (350f). Place the chicken into a baking dish large enough to accommodate in a single layer – you may need to use two. Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken, sprinkle with the sugar and add the white wine. Place in your oven and back for 1 to 1 ½ hours, basting and flipping the pieces every 20 minutes or so, until the juices run clear and the meat is caramelized.
Sprinkle with coriander and almonds and serve.

Notes: This dish is good either hot or at room temperature. It keeps and its flavours intensify over a couple of days in refrigeration (a good thing too because this recipe make enough for 10 people – you might want to halve it if cooking for a lot less)

Source: Chocolate and Zucchini

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