Chicken Marbella

Recipe:

4 chickens, 2 1/2 pounds each, quartered 
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed 
1/4 cup dried oregano 
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
1/2 cup red wine vinegar 
1/2 cup olive oil 
1 cup pitted prunes 
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives 
1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice 
6 bay leaves 
1 cup brown sugar 
1 cup white wine 
1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl combine chicken, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover, refrigerate and let marinate overnight. 

3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them. 

4. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. To test if the chicken is done prick the largest piece of the thigh with a knife and if the juices run clear it’s done. 

5. Transfer chicken to a serving platter, remove the bay leaves from the sauce and pour the remaining pan ingredients over the chicken. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serves 10-12.

(Recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook)