Skillet Chicken Marbellafeatured

Cooking in my cast iron skillet…a new chicken recipe to get excited about…sometimes it’s about the simple pleasures in life.

When I stumbled upon this recipe for Chicken Marbella, I knew I’d love it. The combination of olives, prunes, and capers caught my eye, and indeed, it tasted just lovely. Little did I know, many before me have discovered the wonders of this dish. It is apparently one of the most popular recipes in the Silver Palate Cookbook. Well, where have I been?

Not to worry, I’m making up for lost time and have taken to making my version of Chicken Marbella frequently. What changes have I made? Well, mainly:

• I don’t marinate the chicken (who has the time or forethought to marinate these days?)
• I use my trusty skillet instead of a Dutch oven (for the record, I am accepting gifts of Le Creuset if anyone would like me to test this recipe using a Dutch)
• I give the chicken a good sear in said skillet before it goes into the oven
• And, I add slivers of onion on top which melt down and caramelize beautifully as the chicken cooks.

I stole the idea for adding the onion from another favorite skillet chicken recipe — this Tuscan-style number. In fact, this Chicken Marbella is like the Spanish Costa del Sol bestie to my Tuscan Chicken. Totally different flavor profiles, but similar preparations, and both are utterly delicious.

Each ingredient really plays its part here. The prunes impart a rich, smoky sweetness that is just spot on. Note to self: prunes are really under appreciated. They are seriously tasty and not to be relegated to strictly “practical” applications.

The olives and capers bring great briny saltiness to the party. Lemon and garlic play well with chicken, we already know this. Slices of onion, as I mentioned before, transform into gorgeously caramelized loveliness. Rosemary, oregano, and bay leaves fragrance the dish. Red wine vinegar punches up the acidity. Brown sugar makes everything better. And white wine deglazes all the yummy bits and creates the sauce with zero effort on your end.

Here’s a play-by-play of how this dish comes together:

First things first, rinse and thoroughly pat dry the chicken pieces. Season both sides with salt and pepper, then sear the chicken in the skillet, skin-side down, until golden brown.

Flip the chicken pieces skin-side up, and add the garlic, prunes, capers, olives, bay leaves, oregano, and rosemary, distributing everything evenly. Juice the lemon quarters over everything and tuck them between the pieces of chicken. It should look good enough to eat at this point, but wait, there’s more!

Scatter the onion slivers on top.

Drizzle the olive oil and red wine vinegar over everything.

Sprinkle on the brown sugar and slide the skillet into the oven for 30 minutes.

Take the skillet out, and pour the white wine over the chicken (no stirring necessary). I used this white blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris & Viognier from 14 Hands, a Washington State winery. Cover the skillet with foil and put it back in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, until it looks like this…

Top with some finely chopped parsley for hit of something green and fresh, and enjoy! I love serving this with couscous cooked in fresh orange juice instead of water. I add some orange zest to it, and a handful of roughly chopped green olives. It’s a perfect side dish to go with this Chicken Marbella if I do say so myself.