Ottolenghi Chicken Marbella is a one-pan tray-bake of chicken with Medjool dates, sweet potatoes, and olives in a sweet and zesty sauce, and with only 10 minutes of prep time needed, what's not to love?
This Middle Eastern-inspired updated Chicken Marbella would be perfect for your Passover celebration, or a Thanksgiving table.
Jump to:
- Updated Chicken Marbella
- The Perfect Passover Main Dish
- What to Serve with Ottolenghi Chicken Marbella?
- Ingredients for Chicken Marbella Ottolenghi Recipe
- Directions to Make Chicken Marbella Recipe
- Top Tips for Marbella Chicken Ottolenghi Style!
- Scaling the recipe, Make ahead and Storage
- Recipe
- Chicken Marbella Ottolenghi-style
Updated Chicken Marbella
On our first date, the love of my life told me he was “a meatatarian”. Coupled with the red-and-white checkered shirt and the ‘engineer’ profession tag, I really wasn’t thinking this was going to last.
For you see, I have been a self-avowed vegetarian since the age of 12, after a lot of thought and a chance encounter with a blue-and-red speckled Georgian sausage that really didn’t end well. Approximately five years ago, I added fish to my diet.
But chicken? That seemed like a far-fetched compromise to make, even for someone you seemed to like a lot.
And then I got pregnant. And all of a sudden, every walk through a supermarket ended with me drooling over rotisserie chicken; every salad was topped with a chicken breast; and my idea of a snack became a chicken drumstick. My pregnant body, swelling with the contours of a growing baby, demanded the same thing that my husband suggested many moons ago: chicken. And I obliged.
But no chicken recipe has ever appealed to me as much as this updated Chicken Marbella, which I first discovered in Ottolenghi's Simple cookbook. In this recipe, bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks are first marinated, and then cooked in a sticky, sweet and zesty sauce of wine, dates, sweet potatoes, olives and capers.
In my version, I replace the thyme with cilantro, layer the pan with sweet potato wedges, add more date molasses and use high-quality, Natural Delights Medjool Dates. The result is the ultimate one-pan tray-bake Chicken Marbella, Ottolenghi-style and a highlight in my passover recipe roundup.
The Perfect Passover Main Dish
My updated Ottoleghi Chicken Marbella is my favourite easy main dish for a special occasion - most fittingly, for Passover or Thanksgiving.
Our love for this dish started last year, when we had to hold a virtual Passover across Zoom, across state lines, across time zones and across many technological barriers. With a squirming baby who just wanted to breastfeed, a looming fear of a pandemic, and less time on my hands to test recipes, I went for a dish I knew would be easy and foolproof, an Ottolenghi adaptation of the classic Chicken Marbella just like my Ottolenghi asparagus.
What to Serve with Ottolenghi Chicken Marbella?
I love serving this for Passover dinner, ie the Seder! It makes for a beautiful centrepiece. Often times with a side of my Grandmother's russian carrot tzimmes or a pasta primavera. For dessert, I enjoy making a platter with bite-sized delights, like my chocolate matzo, the ultimate sweet passover treat, sweet and soft coconot macaron pyramids, and almond tuile cookies.
This Middle Eastern Chicken Marbella with dates and olives would also be great as part of a Thanksgiving table. As it is more of an American holiday, I like serving it with some American classics. We start the evening with my thanksgiving charcuterie board, then move to the main chicken marbella, served with roasted carrots and crispy brussel sprouts. Finally, what could be more fitting than a pumpkin pie, make with allgergy free ingredients and a flaky gluten free pie crust.
Ingredients for Chicken Marbella Ottolenghi Recipe
It might seem that this recipe requires a lot of ingredients, but it ensures that the chicken is packed with flavor. For the chicken, I recommend using chicken thighs, skin on and bone-in to ensure they don't dry out, but you can also use chicken breasts or drumsticks. You will also need date molasses, but it can be replaced with pomegranate molasses, regular molasses or date syrup. To really make this chicken dish worthy of being the center piece of your Passover or Thanksgiving feast, don't skimp out on the Medjool dates!
For the spices and seasoning need, check out the recipe card below.
Ingredient Spotlight: Medjool Dates
The secret ingredient that makes my Ottolenghi Chicken Marbella so good are Natural Delights Medjool Dates.
I love cooking & baking with Medjool dates. Natural Delights' Medjool Dates are very high in antioxidants, fibre, potassium and micro-nutrients. They are naturally plump and sweet because they are packaged fresh, and not dried, without any sulphites or preservatives.
Medjool dates are known as nature's candy, which makes them a wonderful replacement for the sugar in this updated Chicken Marbella. I augment them with some paleo date molasses for a special Middle Eastern taste.
Natural Delights Medjool Dates are grown using organic growing practices, and the fruit is packaged and shipped to stores when it's perfectly fresh. Natural Delights Medjool Dates last in a sealed jar in my pantry for months, and are available year-round in the produce section of your favourite grocery store.
Medjool dates and I love adding them to basically everything! They are a center piece in my Ultimate Middle Eastern appetizer platter with our best mezze recipes and gluten-free hamantaschen cookies.
Directions to Make Chicken Marbella Recipe
Prepare and marinate the chicken
Prepare a large baking pan or baking sheet by covering it with parchment paper.
If you have time to marinate the chicken, place chicken pieces in a large bowl and add the garlic, cilantro, vinegar, oil, olives, capers, Medjool dates, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. If you are cooking the chicken straightaway, then rub the chicken with the salt and pepper prior to placing it in the marinade of garlic, cilantro, vinegar, oil, olives, capers, dates and bay leaves. Stir everything to combine, cover the bowl and let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours, and up to two days.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Arrange sweet potatoes and chicken in baking sheet
Spread out the sweet potatoes along the sides of the baking sheet. Arrange chicken thighs, along with all the marinade ingredients, letting it overlap with the sweet potatoes. Whisk together the wine and molasses and pour over the meat. Drizzle sweet potatoes with 3-4 TBs of olive oil and sprinkle generously with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
Bake chicken, dates and sweet potatoes in the oven
Place Ottolenghi Chicken Marbella with dates in the oven and cook for 50 minutes, basting two or three times, until the meat is golden brown on top and cooked through.
Serve with more fresh cilantro
Remove tray from the oven, transfer chicken, sweet potatoes and everything else to a large platter, sprinkle with some fresh cilantro, and serve.
Top Tips for Marbella Chicken Ottolenghi Style!
For best results, marinate the chicken a day in advance. It makes the chicken moist and plump, and allows the flavors to perfectly penetrate.
Try to find smaller sweet potatoes, as they make prettier wedges.
Date molasses give the dish a special, sweet-and-sour flavor. They are also devoid of added sugars and are completely natural. Do your best to find them in a Middle Eastern store near you.
Good, plump Medjool dates make all the difference in this dish. Using dried dates of any other kind will not yield the same results.
Scaling the recipe, Make ahead and Storage
This recipe can easily be scaled up or down. I have made it with 4-8 chicken breasts or thighs at a time, without any issues. The cooking time or the marinate don't need to change, it just produces a saucier Chicken Marbella, or slightly less saucy.
The beauty of this recipe, and the reason I love making it for passover and other holidays, is that it can be made ahead and frozen. The chicken can rest in the marinade up to two days, and will keep plump and succulent if packed in an airtight container after baking for up to 3 days.
This recipe is very freezer-friendly. Ottolenghi Chicken Marbella can be baked and frozen for up to 6 months. Just defrost it naturally and reheat it in the microwave or in the oven for best results.
Recipe
Tried and loved this recipe? Please leave a 5-star review below! Your reviews mean a lot to me, so if you've got any questions, please let me know in a comment.
Chicken Marbella Ottolenghi-style
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs, breasts or drumsticks skin on and bone-in, scored a few times
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- ¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped plus more for serving
- 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup pitted green olives
- 5 tablespoon capers plus 2 tablespoon of their brine
- 1 cup Natural Delights Medjool dates pitted and quartered lengthwise (equal to 7 individual dates or 120g)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup dry red wine (120ml)
- 2 large sweet potatoes or 4 small cut into wedges
- 2 TBs date molasses can be replaced with pomegranate molasses, regular molasses or maple syrup
Instructions
- Prepare a large baking pan or baking sheet by covering it with parchment paper.
- If you have time to marinate the chicken, place chicken pieces in a large bowl and add the garlic, cilantro, vinegar, oil, olives, capers, Medjool dates, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. If you are cooking the chicken straightaway, then rub the chicken with the salt and pepper prior to placing it in the marinade of garlic, cilantro, vinegar, oil, olives, capers, dates and bay leaves. Stir everything to combine, cover the bowl and let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours, and up to two days.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Spread out the sweet potatoes along the sides of the baking sheet. Arrange chicken thighs, along with all the marinade ingredients, letting it overlap with the sweet potatoes. Whisk together the wine and molasses and pour over the meat. Drizzle sweet potatoes with 3-4 TBs of olive oil and sprinkle generously with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- Place Ottolenghi Chicken Marbella with dates in the oven and cook for 50 minutes, basting two or three times, until the meat is golden brown on top and cooked through.
- Remove tray from the oven, transfer chicken, sweet potatoes and everything else to a large platter, sprinkle with some fresh cilantro, and serve.
Heather says
Ooh these are all a bunch of my fave flavors but I would never think it pair them together! And it’s a one tray. Bake? Yes! Pinning for dinner next week thanks!
Amanda Dixon says
This chicken sure does make an impressive dish! I love the way the dates and the olives played together, and the chicken came out so moist. Will definitely make again!
amycaseycooks says
Wow! What a fabulous combination of ingredients. And I love that this is a single pan recipe. I’ll be suggesting this recipe to my personal chef clients.
Veronika Sykorova says
This chicken looks so flavorful with the olives capers and dates. I can't wait to try it, I love all these middle eastern flavors!
Silvia says
Omg! I have always loved the chicken Marbella but your recipe is a big step up! Loving the dates and the sweet potatoes, a dish we will be making over and over again.
Amy Liu Dong says
Such an easy but delicious and healthy dish to make for everyone. I really love it!
Melissa says
Uh-oh—ingredient question. I’m making this now. The directions say oregano, but the ingredients list has cilantro. Which spice I should I be using? If oregano, how much?
kseniaprints says
Melissa, good catch! I recommend using fresh cilantro for this, as specified in the ingredients. I will fix the direction right now.
Melissa says
Soooooo good. Thanks for this updated variation. The sweet potatoes are a great addition!
Leslie says
What a stunning dish! You did absolutely everything right on this! It's so perfect and beautiful!
Veronika says
This recipe looks wonderful! So much flavor in one dish. I definitely need to make it sometime soon!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
Oh my! I need this in my life. Must print your recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Ramona says
Oh my goodness this looks absolutely incredible and I’m drooling all over my keyboards right now. I could definitely have this now for breakfast, why not? I’m saving the recipe and this will be made ASAP it looks divine!
Alene says
This was so different and delicious! Even my husband, who is not a chicken fan, really liked it. I loved the salty/sweet flavors. I used pomegranate molasses as that's what I have. I generally love Ottolenghi's recipes, especially if I can make them gluten free. Thank you for posting it.
Harry says
Help! I added the wine and molasses too early ! Is it ruined?
kseniaprints says
Not at all! I’ve done it in moments of confusion and it’s totally fine, it’s a very forgiving dish. Think of this recipe as a best practices sort of thing 😉
Stephanie says
Hello. One question, are the sweet potatoes marinated along with the chicken or are they meant to be added right before baking?
kseniaprints says
No need to marinate them, just add right before baking! Enjoy 😉
Lauren Agar says
Yummy! I consider myself a decent cook. This is what I have been looking for. This recipe is fresh and includes olives which I love. Can't wait to try it tonight. Thank you!
kseniaprints says
I am so glad, Lauren! I love bringing new and fresh flavors to people's kitchens. Hope you loved it as much as we do - this is one of our go-to chicken recipes.
Debby Roche says
This is absolutely amazing! Every bite of it! And so easy & quick! I prepped it on the weekend to marinate, put it on the pan as directed when I got home from work, and it is a gourmet meal! I am not a fan of dates but they were so amazing with the chicken that I wished I had used the whole package. We all loved at and we get to eat the leftovers for lunch a couple days this week.
kseniaprints says
I honestly make this chicken recipe at least once a month and I've never met someone who wasn't a fan. Glad you liked it!
Deb says
Sounds fabulous - Thinking of adapting for vegetarians by substituting the chicken for cauliflower steaks and portobello mushrooms. Should I marinade prior to cooking.
Also, my guests don't like olives or cilantro so if I omit olives but still include capers and substitute the cilantro for parsley or thyme will it still be as delicious?
Appreciate any advice on how to adapt and still capture the flavour.
kseniaprints says
OK so here are my suggestions:
Cauliflower steaks could benefit from from marinating longer than portobello mushrooms, but it's not super necessary. Mushrooms should not be marinated.
Yes, omit olives and you can sub cilantro with parsley, not thyme.
Good luck!
Laura says
The best chicken! The sauce is amazing!
kseniaprints says
My kids and all guests who taste it wholeheartedly agree! I make this dish at least once a year.