Dear Jeanne: I love this recipe and have been making it for years. I notice that it has a lot of congealed fat when it is refrigerated, so there must be lots of fat in it, but it just tastes so good!
Can you make it good without all the fat?
— Carolyn, San Francisco
Dear Carolyn: I have made this into a quick weeknight dish, as long as you think about it a little ahead of time to marinate the chicken; however, because they're boneless breasts, you don't need to marinate them very long.
The skin on the chicken is the worst part of the original dish. Using only the breast meat also reduces the fat, but if you like dark meat, use boneless, skinless thighs and cook them a little longer.
If you cook the chicken with the skin on, you can remove it before eating, but when the juices from cooking are spooned on top, that includes a lot of fat that has rendered from the skin.
So if you want to use the juices, you must remove the skin before cooking, or chill the juices and remove the hardened fat before eating. I have reduced the quantity in this recipe so that it will serve six instead of 12.
Jeanne Jones is the author of 33 cookbooks, most recently "Cooking From the Cupboard" (Rodale Press). For more information, you can go to her website, jeannejones.com.
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CHICKEN MARBELLA
4 whole chickens, 21/2 pounds each, quartered
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed
1/4 cup dried oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground 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 little bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine or chicken broth
1/4 cup Italian parsley or fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1. In a large bowl, combine the chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
3. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans, and spoon the marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar, and pour the white wine around them.
4. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with the pan juices. Chicken is done when the thigh pieces, pierced with a fork at their thickest part, yield a clear yellow juice.
5. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonsful of pan juices and sprinkle generously with the parsley or cilantro.
6. To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If the chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over the chicken.
Makes 12 servings.
CHICKEN MARBELLA
36 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts (six 6-ounce breasts)
6-8 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 tablespoons dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/4 cup Spanish green olives, pitted
1/4 cup capers, with a bit of juice
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
2 tablespoons Italian parsley or fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1. In a large bowl or zipper bag, combine the chicken breasts, garlic, oregano, pepper, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
3. Spray a 9-by-13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the chicken in a single layer and spoon the marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar, and pour the white wine around them.
4. Bake for about 35 minutes, turning once. The chicken is done when it is no longer pink inside.
5. To serve, transfer to a serving platter, remove the bay leaves and sprinkle with the parsley or cilantro.
Makes 6 servings.
Each serving contains approximately: Original Recipe: 990 calories; 68 gm fat; 340 mg cholesterol; 724 mg sodium; 23 gm carbohydrates; 65 gm protein; 2 gm fiber. Revised Recipe: 285 calories; 5 gm fat; 99 mg cholesterol; 216 mg sodium; 15 gm carbohydrates; 40 gm protein; 2 gm fiber.