My Chicken Marbella recipe is inspired by the Silver Palate Cookbook classic dish—but with a juicy twist passed down from my mom. Unlike the original chicken Marbella recipe, this one is made in a large baking dish with extra sweet prunes, green olives, and juicy chicken thighs. The result? A tender, stew-like dish that’s savory, sweet, briny, and absolutely packed with bold flavor.
Why You’ll Love It
This is my mom’s take on the iconic chicken Marbella from the Silver Palate Cookbook—and dare I say, it might be better than the original recipe. No shade though - I swear!!!
Instead of arranging chicken pieces in a single layer on a sheet pan, she bakes everything together in a large baking dish so it turns into more of a rich, juicy stew. It’s saucy, tender, and loaded with extra prunes, Castelvetrano olives, and that signature briny-sweet combination that makes this dish such a classic.
It's literally the perfect dish when paired with my quick and easy cheesy polenta recipe.
We use boneless chicken thighs for max juiciness and easy serving, but it works with boneless chicken breasts, chicken legs or bone-in chicken thighs too—just adjust the cooking time and use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken.
The marinade ingredients are simple but powerful: olive oil, red wine vinegar, dry white wine, garlic, capers, bay leaves, and dried oregano. And of course, the iconic prunes and olives.
You’ll combine everything in the baking dish, nestle the chicken in, and let it marinate overnight so all that bold flavor soaks right into the meat.
Right before baking this chicken marbella recipe, you'll sprinkle a hefty amount of brown sugar over the top of the chicken and marinade, which caramelizes in the oven until golden brown and bubbling.
The end result is juicy chicken that’s sweet, savory, and bursting with complex flavors. It's the perfect centerpiece for dinner parties, Mother’s Day, or any night you want to impress without much fuss.
My mom's chicken marbella recipe is seriously one of the best chicken recipes I've ever had. And my taste buds crave that salty sweetness that it exumes. I know you're going to love it because everybody does!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This chicken Marbella recipe is full of simple ingredients that bring on complex flavors. Here’s what you’ll need to make my mom's spin on Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins iconic dish:
- Pitted Prunes: The sweet prunes melt into the pan and make every bite of chicken a little sticky and rich.
- Pitted Castelvetrano Olives: We love their buttery, mild flavor, but green olives or kalamata olives work too for a stronger briny flavor. Also, I'll tell you the truth - my mom uses whatever olives she has open in her fridge. So go ahead and use classic green olives if you want!! If will still be delicious.
- Capers + Caper Brine: Briny capers balance out the sweetness and round out the flavor. Don't forget to add a little of the caper juice, too!
- Olive Oil: Helps everything meld together while keeping the chicken juicy.
- Red Wine Vinegar: A classic chicken Marbella ingredient that brings acidity and depth.
- White Wine: Adds brightness—use a dry white wine or sub chicken broth if preferred.
- Bay Leaves: A must for that earthy, background note. Skip if you don't have them.
- Dried Oregano: The backbone of the Silver Palate flavor. Add fresh oregano if you’ve got it!
- Garlic: Thinly sliced garlic cloves (or even a whole head of garlic!) soak into the marinade. You could also use the jarred minced garlic but it's not my favorite.
- Brown Sugar: Divided between the marinade and the top of the chicken for sweet caramelization.
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper: Enhances all the savory flavor happening here.
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs: In my opinion, chicken thigh pieces are tender, juicy, and easier to serve than a whole chicken or chicken legs. If you have skin-on chicken, just be sure to remove the chicken skin before marinating.
How to Make It
This chicken Marbella recipe takes a little planning but comes together easily. Most of the work happens in your fridge overnight. Here's how to make this classic recipe with my mom's twist!
- MIX THE MARINADE: In a large baking dish or 9x13 pan, stir together the prunes, olives, capers and brine, olive oil, red wine vinegar, white wine, bay leaves, oregano, garlic, 1 cup of the brown sugar, and kosher salt.
- ADD THE CHICKEN: Nestle the boneless thighs into the marinade, turning to coat each one fully. Use tongs or your hands to get every piece coated.
- COVER & MARINATE: Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or up to 24 hours). The longer it marinates, the more those flavors soak into the chicken.
- PREP TO BAKE: Remove the dish from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while your oven preheats to 350°F.
- ADD SUGAR & BAKE: Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of brown sugar over the top of the chicken and marinade. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the top is golden brown.
- SERVE: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken and olives to a serving platter, then spoon marinade and pan juices over the top. Serve with cheesy polenta, roasted potatoes, or crusty bread.
- SAVE: Store leftovers from this chicken marbella recipe in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of broth or water to loosen the sauce.
What to Serve It With
Ok, so I'm not going to lie, one of my favorite things to do with the leftover capers, prunes, and olives (if there are any leftover!) is to heat them up and serve them over whipped goat cheese. It's so so good!!
- Cheesy Polenta - That's how we always serve it!
- Buttery Mashed Potatoes or cauliflower mash for a cozy base
- Crusty Bread for soaking up every drop of those sweet-salty pan juices
- Roasted Green Beans or Asparagus for something fresh and snappy
- Simple Salad with lemon juice and olive oil to balance the richness
And if you want more delicious chicken recipes, try these for your next dinner party!
- The Best Grilled Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs Recipe
- Easy BBQ Chicken Thighs Recipe (Grilled or Oven Baked)
- Easy Slow Cooked Pulled Beef Recipe (Crockpot or Oven)
- Classic White Cheddar Mac and Cheese Recipe
- The Easiest Pink Pickled Onions
Recipe
Meme’s Chicken Marbella Recipe (extra dates & prunes)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz Pitted Prunes
- 19 oz Pitted Castelvetrano Olives drained
- ½ Cup Capers plus ¼ cup of their brine
- ½ Cup Olive Oil
- ¾ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Cup White Wine or sub with broth if preferred
- 2 large Bay Leaves
- ¼ Cup Dried Oregano
- 2 tablespoon Garlic thinly sliced
- 1½ Cups Brown Sugar divided and tightly packed
- 2½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 3 Lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
Instructions
- In a 9x13-inch baking dish, stir together the prunes, olives, capers (plus ¼ cup of brine), olive oil, red wine vinegar, white wine, bay leaves, oregano, garlic, 1 cup of the brown sugar, and kosher salt.
- Nestle the chicken thighs into the marinade, turning to coat each piece completely. Cover tightly (or wrap with plastic wrap) and refrigerate overnight or for up to 24 hours.
- When ready to bake, remove the dish from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Just before baking, evenly sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of brown sugar over the top of the chicken and marinade.
- Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and caramelized on top.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. We love it served over cheesy polenta.
Leave a Reply