Chicken Marbella

When you have gut issues, sugar can be a big trigger… and you’d be surprised how many recipes call for added sugar that’s really not needed.

For example, last night I made the Silver Palate’s Chicken Marbella. I only sprinkled a little coconut sugar (low-glycemic) right before baking to help with caramelization and it was honestly just as delicious!

This recipe is really forgiving… you can marinate overnight, during the day or just a few hours… no matter how long it’s still really good. All the substitutions work well too, so you really can’t go wrong. 

And if you’re prone to constipation, the prunes will help get things moving 😉 So if you give it a try, let me know what you think! 

INGREDIENTS:

Approximately 3 lbs pasture-raised chicken thighs (bone in, skin on)

1/2 head of garlic, smashed, peeled and finely chopped or minced

2 TBSP dried oregano

Course sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup pitted prunes

1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives

1/4 cup capers with a bit of the juice

3 bay leaves

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1 TBSP coconut sugar (optional – see substitutions below)

1/2 cup white wine (see substitutions below) 

2 TBSP finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley

SUBSITUTIONS:

1 TBSP coconut sugar — The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar for this amount of chicken, but I just sprinkled a little coconut sugar on top of chicken to help it caramelize. But you could also omit the sugar altogether and just broil it a little more after baking to brown the skin. 

1/2 cup white wine — If you don’t want to use wine, you can substitute with the same amount of organic apple cider vinegar, chicken broth, chicken bone broth or a combination of these — all work great!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place chicken thighs in a large bowl and sprinkle both sides of the chicken with sea salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add garlic, oregano, red wine vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice and bay leaves. Rub the chicken well with the marinade (I used rubber gloves) and refrigerate covered overnight or at least two hours. 
3. Preheat oven to 350°F
4. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a shallow baking pan and spoon the marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the coconut sugar and pour white wine around the chicken, not on top of the chicken.
5. Bake for 1 hour, then broil for a few minutes to brown the chicken a bit more. Watch it so you don’t overcook.
6. Sprinkle parsley on top 
7. Serve with quinoa or brown rice to soak up those juices, a green veggie and enjoy!