wow i just realised that my category list on the right is getting longer – i categorise my blog using the names of the countries where my recipes are inspired from, with a few exceptions such as ‘essay’ and ‘poem.’ this time, another country has been added – it is the first spanish dish that i have learned to cook, which is called ‘chicken marbella.’

chicken marbella dinner along with turnip salad

it is an oven dish, and it may be meant for cold weather. on the contrary however, for the past few weeks it has been boiling hot in tokyo, now that the rainy season is over. to make the matter worse, we have been trying to save energy all over japan due to the nuclear power plant failure in fukushima back in march. this means we try not to use an air conditioning during the day as much as possible and instead use only a small electric fan (uses much less electricity). in such heat i usually loose my appetite, but somehow, the other day, i craved for the taste of chicken marbella. maybe the bright sunshine may have reminded me of spain, which may have reminded me of juicy green olives, which reminded me of chicken marbella.

what is so special about chicken marbella is its marinade. it is made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, prunes, green olives and capers. after marinating chicken overnight in this marinade, it magically transforms the plain chicken to something truly delicious and memorable, offering an amazing kick & depth in taste and richness & moisture in texture.

and another nice thing about chicken marbella is that it is super easy to prepare – mix the marinade, marinate the chicken overnight, and put it into the oven for 40 – 50 minutes the next day – boom! it looks so dazzling and splendor, perfect for a dinner party.

here is the recipe:

chicken marbella (serves 2 – 3)

500g of chicken thigh, cut into quarters and seasoned with sea salt & freshly ground pepper

marinade:

a little more than 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
a little more than 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
a little more than 1 tbs of dried oregano
1 – 2 cloves of garlic, grated
1/2 cup of pitted prunes
1/2 cup of pitted green olives
1/4 cup of capers (with juice)
a few bay leaves
salt & pepper

– in a large bowl, lay the chicken pieces and mix in the marinade
– put a plastic wrap over the bowl and let it rest in the fridge overnight

– next day, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
– lay the chicken pieces in a baking pan, pour over the marinade over them
– prepare the following ingredients:

a little more than 1/4 cup of white wine
a little more than 1/4 cup of red sugar

– pour the above ingredients over the chicken prior to putting the pan in the oven
– when it is ready, put the pan in the oven and cook it for 40 – 50 minutes or so until the chicken is fully cooked
– serve chicken marbella with rice (i recommend jasmine rice)

on a plate

its taste gets even better the following day – the marbella sauce gets a bit thicker and tastier. make sure to have some leftovers so that you can enjoy it once again!