Man that looks good. I love that combination of flavors: salty, tart, with the peculiarly pine-like aroma of capers.

I just tried this recipe. I had had it at a dinner party where I was suitably impressed by the complexity of flavors.
I really loved making the chicken this way. Thanks!

I made this for my ladies Bible study dinner last night and it was a hit! Being in a hurry during prep, I accidentally added the brown sugar and wine to the marinade, rather than adding just before baking - but the dish turned out fine. I also baked and served in the same dish, and the presentation was still beautiful. This is a delicious meal - definitely one I will make again and probably one that I will prep & freeze, so I can just thaw and throw in the oven. Thanks!

I have made this many times, but since I do not like prunes, I have used dates - delicious none the less! Also good with boneless cutlets,

My aunt made this for us last summer...so delicious...simple and elegant...a winner!

I love it too and think I may try it with boneless chicken breasts. Will I need to cut back on the cooking time?

This is a classic recipe from the Silver Palate Cookbook, with the quantities halved for a smaller, more manageable dish. This recipe is foolproof and delicious! The first time I made it following the ingredients to a T, it turned out fantastic. The second time I decided I preferred dried figs to the prunes, and omitted the sugar, and liked it even better! I use boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders and it's easy. Comes out plenty moist as long as you make sure the chicken pieces are well coated with the pan juices. A cinch and a pleasure to make.

Has anyone ever used black olives instead of green in this recipe? Seems like visually it would be better and I like black olives taste better.
Also, can I just mince the garlic and not puree it?
Please advise since I have never made this before. thanks!

I haven't made this in several years but it was a hit when I did. I have done it with chicken breast and also chicken wings for a new year's eve party! FABULOUS

Was going nuts trying to decide what to cook for mother's day and this popped in my head. I'm sure it will impress all :)

@ Hayli

I haven't tried this combination yet, but I plan on serving this dish for a family dinner this evening. Because of the flavors of this meal I feel that it will be complimented quite well by other Mediterranean flavors. Side dishes will be a quinoa tabbouleh and a salad.

The recipe for the quinoa tabbouleh has a recommendation for making this the night before. I did that to make my preperation for the family dinner easier, as well as allowing the flavors to develop further overnight. You can find the link here: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/salad/recipe-quinoa-tabbouleh-090136

The other side dish that I'm making is a salad, which will contain:

1. Fresh spinach leaves
2. Fresh sliced nectarines
3. Crumbled feta cheese
4. Dried cranberries
5. Pine nuts
6. Raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing

I did not have time to marinate the chicken, so I just did it in the stove using chicken legs (that have much more flavor than breast). I sealed the chicken with the dry ingredients, and then I added the wet ingredients and capers, olives and prunes. and let it cook in medium heat for 30 min. The result was fantastic!

I baked this recipe today after marinating overnight (about 12 hrs) and it is absolutely scrumptious. I was skeptical when I read the recipe because of how I thought the olives and capers might overpower and make it too briney in flavor. But, it is so well balanced by the herbs, prunes, sugar and wine and becomes something entirely savory and rich in flavor instead. I can't say enough good things about this recipe.

I cut the whole chicken into individual pieces, skinned the breast and thighs. I decided to bake it this morning at about 10am to avoid cooking in the predicted high heat of the day. I'm anxious to taste it tomorrow since the recipe says it even improves with a couple of days in the fridge. I can't imagine it getting better! Thanks for presenting this, Elise. (late to the party though I am)

I made this dish for Christmas dinner last night and it was DELICIOUS! I did not have red wine vinegar and so used sherry with a splash of acv. I also used both prunes and dates, and I mixed bone-in thighs with boneless breasts. Thanks for a great recipe!

We women were using the Silver Palate Cookbook back in the '70s up in the Yukon, and we really wowed them when we seved Chicken Marbella. I dug out my book again today and am checking the needed ingredients so I can serve it to a special group next Wednesday. I was very sorry to read that Sheila Lukins had passed away....
One thing with which I've always struggled: what to serve with it. I think rice was never good, and pasta worked well, but how about spaetzle, my favourite new noodle? Cheers!

I too love this recipe...but does anyone have any tips for what wine would work well with it? I have found it difficult in the past to match a wine to the sweet and sour flavours...

I prefer to use quinoa - I ladle the chicken right on top of it - yummy!

My mom used to make this for dinner parties when I was little. Having discovered the wonders of the slow cooker, I have found that I can just put all of the ingredients in the slow cooker, and the results are the same as marinating it overnight (I haven't found the need to brown the chicken, but one could). Therefore, I don't have to wait a day if I am craving this childhood favorite.

I am going to try this in the slow cooker. I assume 6-8 hours on low should be acceptable?

Also for those who have tried either way, have they noticed a difference in taste via cooking methods?

Has anyone tried to make this dish without the garlic? I have a garlic allergy but would like to try it if I could find a substitute for the cloves of garlic.

I am about to make this but just for two people. Somehow halving the ingredients (other than the chicken) seems like there will not be enough sauce. And I think I read somewhere to just use one chicken but keep the rest of the recipe the same.

If anyone knows the answer, please let me know.

I am sitting at my desk eating leftover chicken marbella that my mom made for my 29th birthday the other day, and it is exquisite. It's always been a favorite of mine. Time to start making it myself! Mom cuts a few corners, using boneless, skinlees chicken thighs (the dark meat is perfect for this!) and just cutting up her garlic instead of pureeing or mashing it. I think I'll double the amount of prunes in it, as they are my favorite and I always wish I had more.

I made it with dates instead of prunes, and it was WONderful!!

Had this cookbook for years and years, never made this recipe before. I marinated chicken the night before and cooked it during Hurricane Irene for dinner. First bite I thought the dish was just okay. The more I ate it, the more I loved it. I served it over orzo. I'd make even more sauce the next time and cut the brown sugar down a bit. Cooked it for an hour and turned the heat up to 375º for the last 15 minutes to brown up the chicken. My hubby had 3 servings. Excellent.

WOW...I used bone-in, skin on thighs and large chicken cutlets , arranging the thighs on the outside of a baking dish and the chicken breast on the inside to keep them from drying out. I did use the dried apricots instead of the prunes because I had them on hand but followed the recipe as written. We really enjoyed this dish and will make again for guests. I did have some breast/juice leftover, sliced it thin, warmed it up in the oven and made over the top *chicken quesadillas*....to die for!!!! The breast meat had absorbed more favor from the juices and they were DELISH!!!!
An elegant dish

This is a response to the Susan Jordan post on March 27, 2011. Easy answer. If you half the chicken, ALWAYS keep the rest the same to duplicate the best results. Better yet, why not make the whole thing - leftovers are always better the next day or two, or, freeze and reheat. I'm a single "foodie" (widower) who loves to be in the kitchen. Even cooking singleton, I always do a full recipe. It beats doing it all over again from scratch just for two and you always then have a nice variety of frozen full meal entrees to choose from. It sound as if you may also be a new chef in the kitchen - do get The Silver Palate 25th Anniversary Issue - it's updated and has a bunch of great new recipes in it. Four great beginners cookbooks you need to get are "The New Making of a Cook" by Madeleine Kamman, "The Gourmet Cookbook" by Ruth Reichl, "James Beard's American Cookery", and, "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" by Marcella Hazan - it's the Bible for Italian cooking and reads like a novel. Hope this helps.

Regarding black vs green olives, I used kalamatas because that was what I had on hand. It tasted great but the green olives would have looked better. The green olives provide more visual contrast to the dark prunes, the Ks (or blacks) make it visually a bit drab.

Love this recipe. I've made it with just red wine, kalamata instead of green olives, chicken breasts instead of whole chickens, white sugar instead of brown and it still tasted great. Someday I'll make the original recipe.

The one thing I've always been nervous about is the GARLIC! I tend to stick to one or two cloves. Isn't this really garlicky as is?

Hi Robin, the garlic gets cooked for a good long time, mellowing out its intensity. I don't recall this dish being especially garlicky in taste as a result. ~Elise

This is such an elegant but very simple recipe!

My thoughts:
- I only use 2 cloves of garlic
- Have only ever made it with Kalamata olives as I prefer them. Definitely provide less colour but flavour is more important to me.
- I have been in a rush and only let it marinade for an hour and it still turns out great!
- I use about 1/2 the brown sugar
- If it isn't brown enough at then end of the cooking time, broil it for a few minutes (but watch very carefully)!
- I usually serve with roasted potatoes and a light salad.

I made this for the second time this weekend, but this time, I didn't look at the 'method' part of the recipe, and I put the wine and sugar in the marinade. I did not sprinkle the sugar and pour the white wine over the chicken before roasting as directed. A small thing, but I didn't think this batch was as good - so don't miss that step! It made a big difference to me. My company thought it was great, however :-)