The Secret to Chicken Marbella: Prunes!
Prunes are the distinctive ingredient in this famous dish. They’re actually used often in classical French cooking, and the Silver Palate recipe borrows heavily from the French traditional lapin aux pruneaux. While prunes and capers might seem like an odd combination, when cooked together with chicken, they create a delectable sweet and sour, savory flavor.
An Easy Chicken Marbella Recipe — Great for a Party!
Chicken Marbella is a great dish for entertaining. Not only is it easy to put together without a lot of hands-on cooking time, but it’s also a real crowd pleaser. The original recipe calls for the chicken pieces to be marinated all night. We found that marinating for 2 to 3 hours worked fine. They revolutionized American home cooking at the time, introducing Spanish, Moroccan, Italian, Mediterranean, and Asian influences, and adding complex flavors and sophistication to homemade dishes. The Silver Palate Cookbook showed people how to entertain easily at home in a manner that was very contemporary. The dishes were approachable and doable for regular home cooks since they didn’t take all day to cook. Forty years later, it is still a well-loved classic. Just like the Chicken Marbella dish that was all the rage at dinner parties during the 1980s.
What to Serve with Chicken Marbella
We recommend a starchy side to mop up all of the delicious pan juices from cooking the chicken. But a light salad is also a lovely accompaniment for Chicken Marbella.
Perfect Mashed Potatoes Easy Rice Pilaf Classic Caesar Salad Broccoli Rabe with Caramelized Onions Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic Herbs and Parmesan
More Crowd-Pleasing Chicken Recipes to Make!
Feta-Brined Roast Chicken Chicken Cacciatore Chicken Cordon Bleu Easy Chicken Pot Pie Classic Baked Chicken
Slightly adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook. Serve the remaining juices in a gravy boat on the side.
