Mediterranean Chicken Marbella Recipe, a touch of Spain with a silver lining

Ingredients:

16 chicken thighs or mixed chicken portions,  to feed 8 people ( boneless and skinless thighs work as well)

(Or buy a whole chicken and chop it up into portions, a cheaper option) Approx 1 1/4 kilos or 2 1/2 pounds of chicken pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup  brown sugar
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, or use fresh equivalent if you are growing  it
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1/4 cup or 2 tablespoons of good quality red wine vinegar
2 dried bay leaves
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup roasted bell peppers drained, and coarsely chopped (this is an optional addition to the original classic recipe)
1/4 cup or 2 tablespoons capers, with a little bit of juice
1/4 cup or 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped for garnish

Marinate the chicken:

1. In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic, and vinegar. (All the ingredients except the wine and the brown sugar.) Add the chicken and stir to coat. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight until you are ready to cook.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 deg. C. or 350 deg. F.
3. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a shallow baking dish and spoon the remaining marinade over it evenly.  Pour the white wine over the chicken pieces, and sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar.
4. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting the chicken pieces frequently with the pan juices, until cooked.
5. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Pour over enough pan juices to serve, and sprinkle generously with parsley (cilantro). Any extra pan juices can be passed around in a sauce boat. Or for serving you can adopt the rustic approach which I quite like, and bring the baking dish straight from the oven to the table and serve from the dish.
6. Serve with couscous or brown rice or a selection of salad and fresh vegetables.

This dish can also be served cold. Cool to room temperature in the cooking juices, before transferring to a serving platter.

- Pauline