Recipe: Chicken Marbella

Serves 10 or more

4 chickens, 2-½ pounds each, quartered

1 head garlic, peeled and finely puréed

¼ cup dried oregano

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ cup red wine vinegar

½ cup olive oil

1 cup pitted prunes

½ cup pitted Spanish green olives

½ cup capers with a bit of juice

6 bay leaves

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white wine

¼ cup Italian parsley or fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1. In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 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.

3. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with the pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pierced with a fork in their thickest place, yield a clear golden (rather than pink) juice.

4. With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass chicken pan juices in a sauceboat.

5. To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over chicken.

From "The Silver Palate Cookbook" by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins