Chicken Marbella
(courtesy of Chris McNamara, owner of Outdoor GearLab and Tech GearLab in South Lake Tahoe. Adapted from The Silver Palate cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. Serves 10)
½ cup olive oil
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 cup prunes, pitted
½ cup Spanish green olives, pitted
1 head of garlic, peeled and puréed
¼ cup dried oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 whole chickens, quartered
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dry white wine
¼ cup fresh, flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
In a large bowl, create a marinade of olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add chicken, turning to coat, then cover bowl and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In several shallow baking dishes (depending on size), arrange chicken pieces in a single layer and pour remaining marinade over tops. Sprinkle brown sugar on chicken, then pour wine around it.
Basting regularly, bake chicken until internal temperature is 145 degrees (about 50 minutes to 1 hour). Transfer chicken and accompaniments to a serving tray with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle with parsley. Put remaining juices in another bowl or gravy boat for serving.
