Chicken Marbella is a unique chicken dish that is great for dinner. It is so sweet and flavorful. It has chicken, prunes, olives, garlic, onions, white wine, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Dried fruit and chicken are a surprisingly delicious combo!
What is Chicken Marbella?
I’ve been making chicken with prunes and olives for quite some time, but I never knew there was a name for that kind of dish! It came about when I wanted to make a different kind of chicken than my usual recipe but wasn’t sure what that should be.
I was looking in my pantry and refrigerator and had both prunes and olives that I wanted to use up. I remembered having a dried fruit and chicken dish growing up that was delicious. The combination of the sweetness from cooked dried fruit and the juiciness of the chicken went so well together.
I found out later that this kind of chicken recipe is known as “Chicken Marbella” and is Spanish-Moroccan-inspired. It’s perfect for you if you love sweet and savory at the same time. The flavors from cooking everything slowly really develop into something magnificent, and they elevate a chicken recipe to be a lot fancier. It’s also healthy and super easy to make.
Use any chicken:
As you see from the pictures I’ve made this with both a whole chicken and chicken legs. It is delicious with either one and made pretty much the same way. You can even make this with chicken breast:
- Boneless skinless chicken breast will be baked at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Lower the oven to 250, cover, and bake for around 40 minutes or until they are soft and baked through.
Meal prep it:
If you have the time, chicken Marbella is a great recipe to make the night before. Just place everything in a baking dish, cover, and place in the refrigerator. The extra time spent marinating will make the chicken even more flavorful and delicious. When you are ready to cook it, take it out of the fridge for around 30 minutes to allow it to come to room temperature.
Stovetop method:
If you prefer to cook this on the stove you can. Brown the chicken first for some nice color and then add everything else. Cook it low and slow until the chicken registers 165 degrees.
Serving Suggestions:
This chicken is so delicious and can be eaten plain but it also pairs well with our delicious vegetable kugel and flavorful yellow rice.
Whatever you choose this is a great option for a homey and cozy family meal!
Chicken Marbella
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken or 2 lbs. chicken legs
- 1/2 cup pitted prunes
- 1/2 cup pitted green olives
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 onion, quartered
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup white wine (cooking wine is fine)
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a baking dish except for the chicken and mix well.
- Nestle the chicken into the baking dish skin side down.
- Cover and refrigerate for one hour or overnight (optional).
- Once the chicken is finished marinating, turn it over to be skin side up.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and let the chicken come to room temperature while the oven preheats.
- Bake uncovered for 1 hour.
- Lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another hour or until the chicken is soft enough to pull apart with a fork.
