Braised Rosemary Chicken with Lemons, Raisins and Olives

Braised Chicken and Roasted Squash

Braised Rosemary Chicken with Lemons, Raisins and Olives

Chicken marbela is one of those classic 90s dishes that was made famous by the Silver Palate cookbook. That cookbook was one of the staples in my moms kitchen and therefore I had to give this briny dish a try in my own kitchen. Never being able to leave things alone I decided to do a brick chicken version of this dish substituting a couple of the ingredients for ones I had on hand. In the end i really wish I had not subbed the traditional prunes for the golden raisins, while they were still delicious I think the plumper prunes give the dish a sweeter more rounded out taste. It definitely worked in a pinch but I would totally suggest getting prunes if you are going to try the dish for yourself.

The great thing about this dish is that you can easily double or triple it for large gathering events with little extra effort on your part. Its beautiful and is definitely a crowd pleaser.

⅓ C olives (preferably good green olives)
3-4 lbs of bone in chicken (I used a whole bird which I butterflied)
½ C flour for dredging
2 tbs EVOO
1 C dry white wine
¼ C white vinegar
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ C lemon chopped
2 whole cloves
¾ c prunes (I substituted for golden raisins because I was out of prunes)
1 lemon thinly sliced
Fresh rosemary and thyme
S&P

If you are using a whole bird,cut along the top of the breast to butterfly it as demonstrated here. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Heat EVOO in a large skillet until it shimmers. Brown as many pieces, skin side down, as can fit in the pan without over crowding them. I actually did this step with the entire chicken. Flip the pieces and brown the other side. Repeat with the remaining pieces if they all did not fit in the pan. Set chicken pieces aside and add wine, vinegar, garlic, lemon, red pepper and cloves to the pan stirring to pull up brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return chicken to the pan and pour any juices that accumulated on the plate over the chicken. Scatter over the fruit and olives, lemon slices and fresh herbs over the chicken. Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Braise at a gentle simmer, basting occasionally and turning the pieces with tongs half way through. Cooking time should be 30-40 min. When you baste chicken make sure the liquid is just simmering and not boiling. If it is boiling, reduce heat. Place chicken on serving plate and cover with foil. Return the sauce to high heat and reduce for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper and pour over chicken before serving.