Weeknight Chicken Marbella Recipe (2024)

Basic cooking tip for chicken thighs learned from Jaques Pepin:Place thighs skin side down after seasoning in a cold non-stick skillet. Heat on high until sizzling then reduce heat as needed until desired level of brown is reached... skin will brown more quickly and no added oil is ever required.

Have made Silver Palate recipe for years. Don’t brown chicken, don’t marinate overnight. Substute honey for brown sugar and only use pitted Kalamat olives. Cook in oven, single layer, 350 for 35 minutes.

I made this one night with Balsamic vinegar and dates, since that's what I had on hand. Their sweetness obviated the need for any added sugar. Now it's the only way I make this dish.

Someone ate my stash of prunes. Discovered it only as I started Chicken Marbella so, in a pinch, used dried Montmorency (tart) cherries. Different, but delicious -- got rave reviews from guests and family!

The Silver Palate recipe has been one of my “for a huge crowd” dishes for years, but I toss two thirds of the prunes/olives/capers in the food processor and give them a quick, rough chop. Add the rest whole for looks. Makes the sauce saucier and really blends the flavors. I never use the whole amount of sugar.

I've always preferred to make Marbella using boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I use a sweeter wine like Marsala for the marinade, and Balsamic instead of red wine vinegar. One of the best easy dinners, always appreciated by guests.

Lee...avoid rubbery skin by pan searing to brown and render the fat then turn skin side up with liquids added surrounding but not on top of the chicken. I tend to finish dishes like this in the oven, sometimes using some minutes of convection heat.

The original recipe is so so easy. I just throw all the ingredients with the chicken, leave it overnight and then cook. Scales up for a crowd so so easily to feed 10, 20 or 40!! A staple in my kitchen!!

I've made this recipe for my family and friends from the Silver Palate Cookbook for years! I agree with browning the chicken before layering in the other ingredients. I've also substituted 1) a mix of pitted green and kalamata olives and 2) cut, dried apricots, dates, or mixed fruit. Whatever I may have had on hand. I do let all the ingredients simmer for a bit and rest before serving, which in these more health-attuned days, is plated with quinoa, couscous, or steamed garlicky greens!

Have used Silver Palate version for years. Don’t marinate and use only pitted Kalamata olives and substitute honey for brown sugar. Don’t brown chicken and cook in oven, single layer at 350 for 35 - 45 minutes

Question you cooks. How do you prevent the chicken skin from getting all rubbery when it's covered (which means it kind of steams while it turns "deep golden brown")? This is a general issue for chicken dishes that brown the pieces and then cover.

Made mostly as written, but added dried apricots with the prunes and subbed white wine vinegar for red. Used an extra T of brown sugar, but won’t do that next time. Tucked thick orange half moons around the chicken for the final simmer, which added bright color. Oh, and I used skinless, boneless thighs. Delicious! Thanks for resurrecting this classic!

Chicken Marbella is my go-to recipe, and super forgiving. I rarely have time to marinate for more than an hour, if that. Always substitute boneless breasts, raisins for prunes, and I frequently throw in sliced artichoke hearts and oil-packed sun dried tomatoes. And halve the recipe, using one big tray of chicken breasts.

I have made this recipe many times and love it but have never made it in advance and frozen it. Can this be done?

Love it! 5 out of five. In a pinch with no prunes in the pantry, I used figs...equally delicious.

Could you do this asa sheet pan chicken?

The Weeknight version seems to call for a lot of salt. 1 Tbs salt for 2.5# of chicken (is this a typo?) -- the original called for 2 tsp salt for 8# chicken ... which is less than 1/3 the amount called for by the new Weeknight version. (I know, Kosher salt is less salty [by about 25%] than "salt" -- but 1 Tbs salt per 2.5# chicken still seems like a *lot*.) We cut the salt in half for the Weeknight version ... and it was great.

Half the sugar; you can always a little more at the end if needed. Serving Options: Add some preserved lemon / Italian parsley to taste.

Would this work with pork tenderloin?

This preparation works wonderfully with pork chops. Look for thick chops with fat that hasn’t been overly trimmed. Low heat to keep meat from drying out.

I bought The Silver Palate in the '80s as a step to become a more sophisticated cook in my first apartment. I went back to it a while ago and learned a lesson in how our tastes have changed. I followed a recipe religiously and it was way too salty when done. So it is good to rethink some of the recipes to our palates today, especially the iconic chicken Marbella. Be careful if this prompts you to start cooking recipes to the letter from so long ago.

I used to make a huge amount of Chicken Marbella every year for our multi-family trip to the (NJ of course) Shore. I would bring it down in a huge disposable pan and after the first crazy day of everyone getting settled in to their houses/rooms, we would all dig in with a fresh salad. I guess I made a starch but I don't recall what. It was a decades long ritual for my extended family that died off as the kids (then grands) grew up and scattered. This reminds me how good it was and I will make it

This recipe has a lot in common with "James Beard’s Farmer’s Chicken" also on NYT Cooking. It's also got olives, oregano, and the somewhat surprising element of dried fruit (raisins in that one, prunes here). If you like this one, you might like that one too.

I make this as written except I add carrots cut into chunks with the prunes and olives. The carrots really go well with the ingredients.

Has anyone tried to make this with fish, maybe monkfish or another sturdy fish?

Rough chop 2/3 of prunes, capers, olives in food processor.

The problem with this recipe is that you have to spend time while your guests are there frying up the chicken in a pan and doing all the other things. The best recipe I”ve found is Ina Garten’s Chicken Marbella (Updated) from her cookbook “Cook Like a Pro”. It’s prepared completely the night before and brought out to bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes the day of your party. Really easy and not spending the whole time in the kitchen while your guests are relaxing. Delicious!

The Silver Palate recipe is perfect as is. It is not time consuming to marinate chicken the night before and, when you do that, there is no prep the day you cook the dish.

I have made the Silver Palate recipe for years, and will do so for an upcoming dinner party, and have never found it tedious at all. I like the over-night marinating as I can mentally tick off a step done.

This seems like a much less practical version for a weeknight. The original recipe is a staple in our home and allows us to mix everything the night before in a lidded 13x9 pan. All that remains to do is to remove the lid, add the sugar and wine and place in an oven (we often put it in while it preheats) then make some rice. It is much easier than doing all the prep and cooking after a long day at work and gives you a chance to unwind and drink a glass of the remaining wine while it bakes.