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    Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella

    December 5, 2024

    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. For more delicious chicken thigh recipes check out our Chicken Provencal and Baked Chicken Thighs with Asparagus.

    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 Cookbook and 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!

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    Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella

    Updated on December 5, 2024

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  20 min
    • Cook Time:  40 min
    • Calories:  493
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    Ingredients

    Olive Paste

    • ⅓ cup pitted Castelvetrano olives
    • ⅓ cup pitted prunes
    • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • ¼ cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc
    • 4 garlic cloves
    • 2 tablespoons capers, drained
    • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

    Chicken

    • 3-4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks and thighs
    • 1 cup chicken stock
    • ⅓ cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc
    • ⅓ cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, halved
    • ⅓ cup pitted prunes, roughly chopped
    • 1 tablespoon capers, drained
    • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center position.

    2. Make the olive paste. Combine the olives, prunes, olive oil, wine, garlic, capers, oregano, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until a coarse paste forms, about 30 seconds.

    3. Make the chicken. Arrange the chicken on a rimmed sheet pan and coat each piece with the olive paste, fully covering on all sides. Pour the chicken stock and white wine onto the sheet pan around the chicken. Drop the olives, prunes, and capers into the liquid. Sprinkle the chicken with the brown sugar and salt.

    4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, olives, capers, and prunes to a serving platter. Sprinkle the parsley over the top.

    5. Place a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Carefully pour the sheet pan drippings and solids into the saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the butter until fully incorporated. Transfer to a small serving bowl.

    6. Serve the chicken family-style with the sauce alongside.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 493
    • Protein 26 g
    • Carbohydrates 17 g
    • Total Fat 38 g
    • Dietary Fiber 1 g
    • Cholesterol 140 mg
    • sodium 501 mg
    • Total Sugars 7 g

    Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Linda

      Can this be frozen at some point?

      Yes you can freeze after step 3 or once fully cooked. Hope you enjoy Linda.

    • 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

      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!