An all round hit, Chicken Marbella is a dish that just works: equally suitable served up in summer or in winter, a simple dish to prepare, a great dish for preparing a day in advance, an easy dish to cook, a dish that keeps well for the next day. In other words, the perfect fridaynightdinnerbox.
For me, Chicken Marbella falls into the comfort food category. When the weather isn't so flash outside, or I need a bit of a pick-me-up, or perhaps it's just a really busy time & there isn't opportunity to spend too long in the kitchen, this is one of those recipes I turn to. A dish that can be thrown together in no time, set aside to marinate, & then when you're ready, put into the oven in a casserole dish an hour or so before guests arrive, it's a good one to have tucked away for the right occasion.
Ingredients:
1 free-range chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
an onion, 3 or 4 wedges of garlic
a handful of olives, I prefer kalamatas
a handful of pitted prunes
a handful of capers
a stem of fresh oregano
a splash or so of olive oil
1 whole lemon, zested & squeezed
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
a cup of white wine
a handful of brown sugar
method:
*joint the chicken into legs & thighs, breasts & wings, keeping the carcass too
*roughly slice the onions & garlic
*stone the olives & slice the prunes in half, lengthways
*place all into a good sized mixing bowl, together with the remaining ingredients
*mix around then cover & sit in the fridge to marinate overnight
*next day, preheat the oven to 220 degrees
*place chicken & friends in a sturdy casserole, adding also some of the liquor, cover & into the oven for somewhere between 45mins & an hour, checking from time to time & basting the chicken pieces with the juices in the pan
*after 15 minutes, lower the heat to 180 degrees
*take the lid off, sprinkle with a little brown sugar, & back into the oven to allow the juices to reduce, the skin to brown, the sugars to caramelise
*to serve, some mashed potato, roasted garlic crushed & mixed in along with just the right amount of butter & cream then put through the mouli
That there is basically the dish. There are variations of course, loads of them, for example the original recipe calls for green olives (though no variety is suggested) & my mother used to use the big fat ones, with the stone in, which she'd have in the fridge in olive oil with orange & cardamom. Honey, too, is a nice substitute for brown sugar. Salted capers replace those in brine, another. To accompany, I like mashed potato - mainly because I think mashed potato makes pretty much everything better & improves the world in general every time it's eaten, but with rice is fine too.
However, I am at present purging the pantry at home so, while I am practising these dishes through the week I have decided to use the things that are available to me here without going to the supermarket. There's much to be said for being able to look on the shelves at home & find the bits & pices required for a delicious meal. Chicken Marbella, I can't help wondering, may even have its origins in such a state of practical necessity.
When I'm pushed for time Chicken Marbella is one of the dishes I like to keep on hand. Using zip-lock bags for the job, I prepare in advance the chicken pieces & marinade, freezing the mix in a bag until I need it. Pulled out then into the fridge to be left overnight sitting on a plate while it thaws, still in the zip-lock bag, is all that's required to be ready for cooking the following day.
No comments:
Post a Comment