October 22, 2009

Chicken Marbella


Getting back to work after a full year of maternity leave might not be easy for most of the new moms like me. Yes, I heard you, non-Canadian moms, sometimes life is just so unfair at the other side of the planet.

Besides what I had anticipated before about my returning to the office, I also have hard time keeping my blog updated. I do still cook as we still need to eat though I'm tired after work. And so I have tons of finished product photos archived in my folder that I have to post them before I forget how I cooked them.

(serves 4)
Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs, skin on
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup dried fruit (prune, raisin or cranberr)
1/4 cup green olives, sliced or halved
1/4 cup capers with 3 tbsp juice
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions:
In a large bowl combine garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, vinegar, olive oil, dried fruit, olives, capers with caper juice, and bay leaves. Add the chicken pieces and coat completely. Cover and let marinate overnight in refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Arrange chicken in a single layer in a shallow baking pan and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

Bake for 50 mins, basting frequently with the pan juice.

Transfer chicken, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Add some of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley. Serve remaining juice in a gravy boat.

22 comments:

Divina Pe said...

The chicken looks really delicious. You are a great mom and woman. You blog, you work, you take care of your family and many others. It's not an easy job but I salute you for that.

Angie's Recipes said...

The chicken marbella looks heavenly!I am bookmarking this recipe!

KennyT said...

I LOVE CHICKEN MARBELLA and yours looks so delish!

Brie: Le Grand Fromage said...

yum! this dish looks tasty. good luck balancing your new schedule!

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

Great chicken dish!

And I totally understand that it's hard to go back to work. I know many may think you are very luck as you had a year of maternity leave, but it's still so hard! And obviously so many aspects of your life change. I had to realize that I can't do everything. I also had to learn to live in the moment and not constantly go over my mental "to do" lists...

ann low said...

This is a beautiful dish. Will add in my to do list.

Cookin' Canuck said...

This sounds so good with the capers and green olives - how I love salty things! Well done balancing family, work, life. It can definitely be a challenge, but well worth the effort.

Unknown said...

I was just wondering what inspired thing I could do with some green olives left over from a catering job. Great idea! And there's such talk about this or that in a "lovely wine sauce", but I've found that the red wine vinegar (usually in half the quantity) works pretty well. Thanks for the inspiration :)

Rachel J said...

I've never heard of chicken marbella and I really am intrigued. The prep is straight forward and the flavors are interesting. Cheers!

Jhonny walker said...

This is so good...I love simple yet flavorful dishes like these. And you are a super hero indeed. I would not have been able to handle all together :) yaya for you!

penny aka jeroxie said...

That looks nice and moist. And good on you for doing everything and cooking such nice food.

Simply Life said...

Oh this dish looks amazing and the perfect meal to make for company! Thanks for the idea! :)

Belinda @Zomppa said...

This looks AMAZING. And you are amazing for doing all that you do! Zomppa Tsering is in Canada too and she just returned to work after a year...not an easy transition but you certainly make it a delicious one!

Unknown said...

Wow, this looks wonderful. My mouth is watering. Hope you are having a fantastic weekend!

My Man's Belly said...

I can totally relate to having a backlog of photos that need to be posted.

The chicken looks delicious!

Fresh Local and Best said...

This looks so good. It's okay to be behind on the blog, we understand your schedule with cute little Ethan. It's just nice hearing from you, and of course seeing photos of Ethan!

angela@spinachtiger said...

The brown sugar is a surprise. I love all the savory ingredients and I'm trying to taste that surprise. It's a great looking and sounding dish.

My Little Space said...

Oh wow, Lulu, you're getting back to work. So, how's your first day at work? I guess you would be terribly missed your boy lol! However, do take care. Cheers.

pigpigscorner said...

Wow, this looks soooooo good! and one whole year of maternity leave?! wow!

Unknown said...

Like you I returned to work after a year. I only just started working again this past September. It was hard at first but I am slowly finding my rhythm with everything but my blog. Thanks for stopping by my blog

Unknown said...

Damn sure looks good. Congrats on your newborn.

I'm curious, where the name Marbella comes from or means?

Evie said...

I notice your directions say to put prunes in the marinade, but they are not listed in the ingredients. What quantity did you use?
I've eaten Chicken Marbella before at a friend's home. She used raisins instead of prunes. It was a delicious dish.