Chicken and olives is an amazingly tasty combo, give me a loud YUM! An easy sweet and savory chicken dinner for two perfect for a weekend meal. This Mediterranean olive chicken recipe was inspired by Ina Garten's Chicken Marabella recipe.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- chicken quarters
- red wine
- brown sugar
- baby potatoes
- balsamic vinegar
- garlic
- olive oil
- oregano
- Prunes,
- Spanish olives
- capers
- salt and pepper to taste
Types of olives to use to make the olive chicken
Spanish Olive used in this recipe is the same as Manzanilla olives and originally is from the Andalusia region of Spain. These green olives have a smoky flavor and pair well with chicken dishes.
Using Prunes in Olive Chicken
Growing up, Prunes in the house meant someone was having an issue, and I stayed away from the shrivel fruit at all costs. 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 effects. A sweet prune with something spicy like a caper and adding a tangy olive really is incredibly flavorful.
If you really don’t want to use Prunes substitute dried Apricots.
How to make olive chicken
Mix 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.
I love olives and eggs go together so well, you must try my Gruyere and Olive Quiche Recipe for a Simple Summer Meal.
Leftover potatoes are easily heated up eat in a skillet with a few sauteed onions and served with eggs for breakfast.
📖 Recipe
Olive Chicken with Prunes and Capers
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
- ¼ 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
- In a large bowl, mix the garlic, oregano, olive oil, prunes, capers, and olives.
- Sprinkle the chicken quarters with salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken quarters and mix to coat the chicken pieces with the marinade. Cover and refrigerator overnight.
- Next Day
- Transfer chicken to a deep parchment-lined baking pan.
- Spoon the remaining marinade over the chicken pieces and sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the chicken and pour the wine on top.
- Bake for about 45 minutes checking after 35 minutes. Continue cooking if necessary until the chicken is fully cooked and has browned nicely.
- While chicken is cooking toss the potatoes with the balsamic vinegar and lightly sprinkle with salt, just enough to enhance the flavor
- After 20 minutes add baby potatoes to the chicken pan and roast until fully cooked.
- Transfer chicken to a serving platter or individual plates and spoon some the pan juices on top of the chicken.
Thanks for coming! Let me know what you think or share a tip.