Chicken Marbella

Ingredients

• 10 lbs chicken quarters (or other poultry)
• 1 head of garlic, peeled & pureed
• ¼ cup dried oregano
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 cup prunes, pitted
• ½ cup Spanish green olives, pitted
• ½ cup capers (with a bit of juice remaining)
• 6 bay leaves
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white wine
• ¼ cup Italian parsley, finely chopped (can substitute cilantro or curly leaf parsley)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Equipment

• Large Bowl
• Shallow baking pans
• Slotted serving spoon
• Small pitcher or gravy boat

• Directions

• In a large mixing & serving bowl, combine chicken, garlic, oregano, pepper, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, and salt to taste. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight or minimum 6 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°
• Arrange chicken in a single layer on large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.
• Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, frequently basting with juices from pan.
• Chicken is finished baking when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest part, yield clear yellow juice (rather than pink).
• With a slotted spoon, remove the baked chicken, prunes, olives and capers from the baking pans and transfer to a serving platter (preferably one with slightly raised edges).
• Spoon some of the pan juices over the chicken, then sprinkle generously with chopped parsley.
• Put the remaining pan juices in a small pitcher or gravy boat.
• To serve this dish cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. Cover and refrigerate. Allow the chicken to return to room temperature before serving and spoon some of the juices over the dish to preserve moisture.