Easy Sweet and Savory Olive Chicken for Two

Chicken with prunes and olives is an amazingly tasty combo, give me a loud YUM!  An easy sweet and savory olive chicken for two is a perfect weekend meal. This recipe was inspired by Ina Garten’s Chicken Marabella recipe.  

Olives are Amazing

Spanish Olive used in this recipe are also known as Manzanilla olives and originally are from the Andalusia region of Spain.  These green olives have a smoky flavor and pair well with chicken dishes.

Prunes Taste Good!

Growing up, Prunes in the house meant someone was having an issue, and I stayed away from the shrivel fruit at all cost. I associated Prunes with well, I’ll be honest, I associated prunes with being elderly.  The reality is prunes are flavorful and yes it has a few healthy side effect.  A sweet prune with something spicy like a caper and adding a tangy olive really is incredibly flavorful.

An Easy Olive and Prune Chicken Recipe

Mix the up the marinade and marinate the chicken overnight, the next day arrange the remaining ingredients and cook.  In about an hour, you have a stress-free and elegant dinner.   The recipe can be double to feed four.

Because of the marinating time required, this is not a last-minute dish. A little planning and a little time make for a flavorful and tender meal.

Cooking with few ingredients means you need to pick the right ingredient combinations to pack a flavor punch.  I start with a Greek olive medley, purchased fresh from the supermarkets olive bar, then select organic prunes from the USA and capers from Spain.  Cost Plus or Traders Joes is a great place to find small jars of capers.

The extra virgin olive oil you use should be a good quality. Wine used in the dish is the same wine I’ll pair with my meal.

 If your more of a white wine person then substitute white for red in the recipe.  Whichever wine you use will change the flavor slightly, the wine imparts a delicate flavor present in the wine.   No wine, no problem,  substitute chicken broth.

Dried Oregano purchased in small quantities ensures  it’s always at peak flavor. 

I really love garlic, my recipes that include garlic will reflect that, feel free to cut back the garlic to your personal taste. 

Check the olive chicken to make sure it’s fully cooked, I use a Thermopro instant-read thermometer.

Leftover potatoes are easily heated up eat in a skillet with a few sauteed onions and served with eggs for breakfast.

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Olive Chicken with Prunes and Capers

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Marinate Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 9 hours

Major flavor with minimal work. Olive, capers, red wine, and prunes make a sweet and savory chicken dish.

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Ingredients

• 2 chicken quarters
• 3 tablespoon red wine
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup of baby potatoes
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

Marinade

• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 6 pitted Prunes, chopped coarsely
• 12 Spanish olives pitted and cut in half
• 1 tablespoon capers
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Marinade Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix the garlic, oregano, olive oil, prunes, capers, and olives.
2. Sprinkle the chicken quarters with salt and pepper.
3. Add the chicken quarters and mix to coat the chicken pieces with the marinade. Cover and refrigerator overnight.

Next Day

1. Transfer chicken to a deep parchment-lined baking pan.
2. Spoon the remaining marinade over the chicken pieces and sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the chicken and pour the wine on top.
3. Bake for about 45 minutes checking after 35 minutes. Continue cooking if necessary until the chicken is fully cooked and has browned nicely.
4. While chicken is cooking toss the potatoes with the balsamic vinegar and lightly sprinkle with salt, just enough to enhance the flavor
5. After 20 minutes add baby potatoes to the chicken pan and roast until fully cooked.
6. Transfer chicken to a serving platter or individual plates and spoon some the pan juices on top of the chicken.

Notes

Serve with a spring salad drizzled in a lemon vinaigrette dressing.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 681Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 493mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 6gSugar: 24gProtein: 24g

The nutritional information provided here are estimates and are not calculated by a registered dietitian.