Recipe: Chicken Marbella

CHICKEN MARBELLA

6 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
1 bulb garlic, finely pureed
1/4 cup dried oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups pitted dried plums
1 cup pitted green olives, or a mix of olives such as Greek, Moroccan, or French
1/2 cup capers with about a tablespoon of their juice
6 bay leaves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley or fresh cilantro

Place the chicken in a large bowl. Cover it with the garlic, oregano, coarse salt and pepper, vinegar, olive oil, dried plums, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Rub the chicken well with the marinade and refrigerate, covered, ideally overnight, but at least for 2 hours.

TO COOK:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175C).

Arrange the chicken in a single layer in 1 or 2 large, shallow baking pans and spoon the marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around but not on them.

Bake for about 40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with the pan juices.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, dried plums, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with the parsley or cilantro.

Serve the remaining pan juices in a separate bowl.

Makes 10 to 12 servings
Source: The New American Cooking by Joan Nathan