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    Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella

    We've taken "The Silver Palate" cookbook's beloved Chicken Marbella recipe and reworked the classic crowd-pleaser into a weeknight-friendly sheet pan dinner.

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    chicken marbella on a white platter with olives and dates

    Hello, It’s 1985 Calling. We’d Like Our Favorite Chicken Recipe Back, Please.

    To which we say a resounding NO WAY. Chicken Marbella is far too good to give up—we loved it as kids and we’re keeping it! We’re taking this classic 80s chicken dinner and time-jumping it into the new millennium with our favorite time-and-effort saving trick—our trusty sheet pan! We’ve also done away with the overnight marinade that’s called for in the original Silver Palate Chicken Marbella recipe, because we wanted to bring this beloved chicken dinner into the realm of weeknight possibility.

    raw chicken on parchment, parsley, green olives, capers, brown sugar, butter, garlic, salt, pepper, chicken
    olives, herbs, capers, garlic in a food processor
    raw chicken legs and thighs in a mixing bowl with a paste marinade of olives, prunes, carpers and garlic
    raw chicken marbella on a sheet pan with olives and prunes

    What You’ll Need To Make Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella

    Chicken Marbella is all about a certain Moroccan-ish (by way of the Upper West Side of Manhattan) combination of flavors. The ingredients that create its signature sweet, tangy, herby goodness are widely available and easy to find. Although in the recipe we list the ingredients for the sheet pan chicken and the paste that coats the chicken pieces separately, there’s a ton of overlap. Here’s everything you’ll need to make this sheet pan Chicken Marbella recipe:

    • Pitted green olives
    • Pitted prunes
    • Extra-virgin olive oil
    • Fresh garlic
    • Capers
    • Oregano
    • White wine
    • Bone-in, skin-on chicken legs and thighs
    • Chicken stock
    • Brown sugar
    • Butter
    sheep pan chicken marbella on a sheet pan with olives, capers, garlic, prunes, and a white wine sauce
    the pan juices from the sheet pan chicken marbella in a sauce pan with butter

    How To Make Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella

    1. Make the “paste”. Purée olives, prunes (about 8), olive oil, garlic, capers, dried oregano, white wine, salt and pepper in a food processor.
    2. Coat the chicken in the Chicken Marbella paste.
    3. Bake! Lay the chicken pieces on a baking sheet and carefully pour chicken stock and white wine into the pan, and top the whole (at this point very full) sheet pan with more olives, capers and prunes, plus a sprinkling of brown sugar and salt. Bake for 30 minutes.
    4. Make a pan sauce! Take the chicken off the baking sheet and use the drippings to make a sauce by simmering them a bit and then whisking in some cold butter. Pan sauce FTW!
    5. Serve!
    homemade chicken marbella with olives, prunes, capers and a pan sauce on a sheet pan with a spoon
    homemade chicken marbella with olives, prunes, capers and a pan sauce on a sheet pan

    Tools You’ll Need

    More Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Recipes

    Oh, wonderful sheet pan dinners. Thanks for saving our sanity on the regular. Here are a few of our recent faves:

    chicken marbella on a plater with olives, capers, dates and a butter pan sauce
    chicken marbella on a plater with olives, capers, dates and a butter pan sauce

    To Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins, With Love from TMP

    Thanks for writing The Silver Palate Cookbookand inspiring a generation of homecooks to raise us‚ their hungry kids, on delicious, exciting meals like Chicken Marbella. Because of you, we get to play around with the flavor combinations that you made so popular and make them our own. And as for you, TMP reader, thanks for reading! We hope you try this recipe out and if you do, let us know how it went! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

    Related Recipes

    Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella

    Originally published: August 14, 2020

    • Serves: 6
    • Prep Time:  20 min
    • Cook Time:  40 min
    • Calories: 493
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 3-4 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken legs and thighs
    • 1 tsp Kosher salt
    • ⅓ cup white wine
    • 1 cup chicken stock
    • 1 tbsp capers, drained
    • ⅓ cup pitted green olives, halved
    • ⅓ cup pitted prunes, chopped coarse
    • 1-2 tbsp brown sugar
    • 2 tbsp butter, cold
    • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

    Paste Marinade

    • 1/3 cup pitted green olives (about 13)
    • 1/3 cup pitted prunes (about 8)
    • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • 4 garlic cloves, peeled
    • 2 tbsp capers
    • 1 tsp dried oregano
    • ½ tsp pepper
    • ½ tsp kosher salt
    • ¼ cup white wine

    Method

    1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400°F.
    2. Make the paste/marinade by pulsing 1/3 cup pitted green olives, 1/3 cup pitted prunes, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 4 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons capers, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ cup white wine in food processor about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl. (Paste can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
    3. Use the paste to marinate the chicken, by coating it completely in the paste mixture.
    4. Place chicken on a rimmed sheet pan. Pour white wine and chicken stock onto the sheet pan, sprinkle the 1 tablespoon of capers, ⅓ cup olives halved and ⅓ cup chopped prunes around the chicken. Sprinkle the dish with brown sugar and salt.
    5. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. If you would like the meat and veggies to have a bit of char, broil for 3 minutes or until desired caramelization is achieved.
    6. Remove the chicken onto a serving dish along with the olives and prunes. Pour the warm pan drippings into a small saucepan, bring to a simmer and reduce by half. Whisk in cold butter until fully incorporated.
    7. Serve chicken along with sauce. Enjoy!

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories493
    • Protein26 g
    • Carbohydrates17 g
    • Total Fat38 g
    • Dietary Fiber1 g
    • Cholesterol140 mg
    • sodium501 mg
    • Total Sugars7 g

    Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella

    Questions & Reviews

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    • megan

      Would boneless chicken work in the recipe?

      Yes, it won't take quite as long to cook though so maybe check the chicken temp at 20/25 minutes so that it doesn't overcook. Hope you enjoy Megan!

    • Susan Bell

      Keeper! I cooked mine in my cast iron dutch oven in the oven at 350 for 1/2 hr. I browned onions and chicken in the pan and added the paste marinade. I skipped brown sugar bc I thought it would be too sweet with the prunes. I didn’t add capers to finish but I would next time. I thickened sauce with corn starch at the end. Served over rice.

      Thanks Susan! So happy to hear you'll be keeping this recipe around!