This is one of my favorite dinner party dishes because you assemble it the day before, refrigerate it and then just stick it in the oven before you company comes. It was made famous by the Silver Palate Cookbook that came out back in 1979 and they served the dish in the Silver Palate Shop in New York City. The addition of prunes, olives and capers make it “frenchy” with a great sweet/salty flavor. It’s really good.
Makes enough for 10 portions Refrigerate overnight
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 cup pitted prunes
- 1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
- 1/2 cup capers with a bit of the juice
- 6 bay leaves
- 1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed or chopped
- 1/4 cup dried oregano
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 chickens (2 1/2 pounds each), quartered or 16 pieces of chicken (I like legs and thighs)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley or fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- Combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, and salt/pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Arrange the chicken in a single layer in one or two large shallow baking pans and spoon the marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar and pour the white wine around them.
- Bake, basting frequently with the pan juices, until the thigh pieces yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice when pricked with a fork, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.
- With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of the pan juices and sprinkle with parsley or cilantro. You can serve the extra pan juices on the side.
This dish is also great served cold or room temperature, on a hot day or a brunch or lunch. I like to serve this warm with a rice pilaf on the side, some fresh veggies and a bottle (or two) of dry white wine.
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