Why It Works
- A combination of green olives and prunes recreates the captivating tangy, briny, and sweet flavor profile of classic chicken Marbella.
- Cooking bone-in chicken thighs until they are 185 to 195°F (85 to 90°C), the temperature at which the chicken’s collagen melts into gelatin, ensures they are tender and juicy.
In 1982, Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso published The Silver Palate Cookbook, named after their gourmet food shop on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. At a time when most cookbooks written for American home cooks looked to France for inspiration, Silver Palate recipes highlighted other global flavors and ingredients, such as Sichuan chile oil and Spanish pimentón. Since its publication, the book and its recipes have become staples for many home cooks. One of the recipes that has developed a bit of a cult following is Lukins and Rosso’s chicken Marbella.
Silver Palate’s chicken Marbella feeds a crowd: The recipe calls for quartering four small chickens, marinating the poultry with prunes, olives, and capers overnight, then cooking it in several large baking dishes. It’s fairly minimal in terms of active prep and cook time, but the recipe notes that the chicken’s moistness comes from many hours of marination. (The cup of brown sugar in the marinade also helps with caramelization and browning.) However, many home cooks don’t have enough bowls, baking dishes, and fridge space to accommodate about 10 pounds of chicken—which is where my shortcut version, scaled to serve four to six and designed for a standard half sheet pan—comes in.
In my twist on the classic, tender chicken thighs, prunes, and olives quickly soak up a tangy marinade in a bowl as the oven preheats. I’ve stayed true to the original in my inclusion of the prunes and olives, as well as the core ingredients in the marinade. As much as I love the original, it’s a touch too sweet for me, so here, I use just enough sugar to offset the acidity of the red wine vinegar and white wine in the marinade.
As the chicken roasts, the rendered fat melds with the marinade to create a rich, salty-sweet pan sauce that you’ll spoon over the chicken and rice or couscous. The dish can be served hot, cold, or at room temperature, making it ideal for both dinner parties and weeknights. Though this recipe and Silver Palate’s differ, the two work much the same, so it feels worthwhile to share a line from the original’s headnote that applies to this sheet-pan version too: “It travels well and makes for excellent picnic fare.”
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Why Use Bone-in Chicken Thighs
Here, I opt for bone-in chicken thighs, which have more fat than breasts and can better withstand high-heat cooking. That means you can roast the chicken in a hot oven without risking it drying it out. Chicken thighs are often the most tender when cooked a bit past the safety threshold of 165ºF (74°C), to about 185 to 195°F (85 to 90°C). At this temperature, the meat is “rich and deeply chickeny in the best way,” as senior culinary editor Leah describes chicken cooked to a higher temp in her article about why this “wrong way of cooking chicken” is so right. As the meat cooks, the collagen and connective tissue melt into gelatin, resulting in tender, juicy flesh.
A Super-Quick Marination Still Delivers Great Flavor
The beauty of this sheet-pan version is that it comes together quickly. By using smaller chicken thighs, you can simply toss them in the flavorful marinade and leave them to sit for an hour. That said, you can marinate the chicken for up to eight hours in the refrigerator if you’d like. When you’re ready to cook, arrange the chicken, olives, and prunes on a sheet pan, pour the marinade over, and pop it into a preheated oven. Served with rice or couscous, it’s a wonderfully easy, satisfying dinner that’s equally great for a weeknight or special occasion.
An Iconic Chicken Recipe, Reimagined for Busy Weeknights
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1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar
1/4 cup (60 ml) dry white wine or low-sodium chicken broth
3 medium cloves garlic (1/2 ounce; 15 g), finely grated
2 tablespoons (about 3/4 ounce; 26 g) light brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry oregano (see notes)
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (8 thighs; 1.3 kg)
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
Freshly ground black pepper
5 ounces pitted green olives (142 g; about 1 cup), such as Cerignola
5 ounces prunes (142 g; about 1 cup), halved if large
2 tablespoons (30 ml) water
Cooked rice or couscous, for serving
In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegar, wine or chicken broth, garlic, brown sugar, and oregano to combine.
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In a large bowl, combine chicken thighs with olives, prunes, and oil mixture. Season evenly with salt and pepper and let sit, refrigerated, for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
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30 minutes before cooking, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
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Remove chicken from marinade and arrange on a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet. Scatter olives and prunes around chicken, and pour marinade over chicken, olives, and prunes.
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Roast chicken until it sizzles and begins to take on color, about 20 minutes. Using a large spoon or baster, baste chicken, olives, and prunes with pan juices. Continue cooking until chicken is deep golden brown, cooked through, and registers 185°F (85°C) on an instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 more minutes.
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Remove chicken, olives, and prune to a large serving plate or platter. Add water to baking sheet and, using a metal spatula, such as a fish spatula, stir and scrape up any browned bits on the pan. Carefully pour sauce into a small bowl. Serve chicken with rice or couscous and pan sauce.
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Special Equipment
13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet, large spoon or baster, fish spatula
Notes
To double the recipe, use two rimmed baking sheets and bake at the same time, with racks positioned on the upper and lower third of the oven. Rotate and swap pan positions halfway through cooking.
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano can be substituted for dry oregano.
When mixed with an acid like vinegar or wine, garlic may turn green, especially if the bulb is older. Green garlic is safe to eat, and may not even be noticeable once the dish is finished.