Cooking Therapy

The Chicken Marbella has to be one of the most enigmatic dishes I have both cooked and consumed. It is briny, sweet, salty. The chicken is seasoned perfectly with just a hint of spice to enhance the salty/sweet combination of the dish. For my take on the recipe, I used dried apricots instead of prunes to pair better with the heat from the chili flakes. The chicken is both moist and flavorful and can be paired with roasted potatoes or rice. Try yours today!

Prep Time: 35 Minutes

Wait time: 1 hour to overnight

Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Ingredients:

4 bone in chicken leg/thighs with the skin on

¼ cup of oregano leaves

½ cup of dried apricots, diced

½ cup of pitted olives, diced

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

¼ cup of molasses

3 tablespoons of olive oil

4 tablespoons of Aleppo or Halaby ground pepper, you can substitute for crushed red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons of capers and 1 teaspoon of their brine

Salt

Fresh ground black pepper

6 cloves of garlic, crushed

Instructions:

• Add the oregano, Aleppo/Halaby pepper, salt and black pepper in a large bowl and stir. Then add the olives, garlic, apricots, capers and brine

• Add the chicken and the rest of the ingredients except for the molasses and olive oil and mix with hands until chicken is coated in the marinate

• Let sit aside for 1 hour to overnight
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees
• Mix the molasses with the balsamic and pour over the chicken. Transfer the chicken with the marinade to a baking tray

• Add the chicken in the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour or until chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Baste as necessary

• Serve together with marinade
• Enjoy!