It was one of the first entrées served at The Silver Palate. In 1977 when the shop opened, Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso had prepared baked ham, beef tenderloin and Chicken Marbella for their first customers. The hot ticket item that day was, and for many days and months to come would be, this sultry Spanish-inspired baked chicken.

The ladies swear by this creation of theirs in the book. “It’s good hot or at room temperature. When prepared with small drumsticks and wings, it makes a delicious hors d’oeuvre…It travels well and makes excellent picnic fare.” And finally since “Chicken Marbella is such a spectacular party dish, we give quantities to serve 10 to 12, but the recipe can be successfully divided to make smaller amounts if you wish.”

Apparently Chicken Marbella was a staple at dinner parties in the 80s and is still a common sight at many a Passover Seder these days. Delicious, sure, but part of this dish’s appeal among home cooks must be how damn easy it is to make. Most all of what little work there is happens the night before your guests arrive. Chicken pieces soak overnight in a marinade of olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, garlic, prunes, olives and capers only to get a sprinkle of brown sugar and a healthy pour of white wine before baking. I’m not even sure measuring cups are necessary.

I very much enjoy pairing fruit and meat in a single dish and the ensuing combination of sweet and savory flavors. It’s not so common in Northern European cuisine, but very common in cooking all around the Mediterranean. I remember going to a Moroccan restaurant with Dorian where, while sitting on pillows at a table raised no more than a foot and a half above the ground, amid a five-course meal, we had chicken pie flavored with cinnamon and dusted with confectioner’s sugar!

Instead of the couscous that accompanied our chicken-cinnamon pie at Marrakesh, I thought I’d try to make the The Silver Palate’s Semolina Bread. Between the chicken, a crusty little loaf or two with some Boucheron cheese, and the remaining white wine – a La Granja Verdejo Viura from Northern Spain (read a $4.99 bottle from Trader Joe’s) – we really did have a nice evening.

The only improvement would have been to be sitting above the ocean on a terrace surrounded by olive trees while we ate. The faintest of sea breezes would have made the olive branches sway and lent a slight saltiness to the air. Perhaps we would have been dining somewhere along Spain’s Costa del Sol, perhaps near a town by the name of – Marbella.

Chicken Marbella
16 pieces, 10 or more portions

4 chickens, 2 1/2 pounds each, quartered
1 head garlic, peeled and finely puréed
1/4 cup dried oregano
coarse salt and freshly ground black 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 bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup Italian parsley or fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

1. In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F.

3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

4. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice.

5. With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining juices in a sauceboat.

6. To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over chicken.