On my way to work driving down the ever-treacherous demonic 405 in LA, I heard a clip on KCRW. A listener, an expat in a far-away land, perhaps Sweden or even Iceland wrote in, saying how uncanny it was that at the very moment she heard the recent passing of Ms. Sheila Lukins, the infamous cook, co-author of The Silver Palate and food editor for the Parade Magazine (taking over Julia Child’s role in the mid-80s), that she was eating her infamous Chicken Marbella. Indeed, I was sorry to hear she had passed. But I didn’t even know her. It was Julia Child with her boosterous, high-pitched voice and personality. Julia who had her TV show and even a movie, Julie and Julia, Julia who seemed to be synonymous with introducing Americans with French cooking. I was too young when the first Silver Palate came out but come to find out, in some sense, the baton had been passed from Julia to Sheila, pushing taste buds to go beyond the often snobby Frenchy food to healthier and practical dishes such as gazpacho, hummus, spicy carrot cake and of course, Chicken Marbella.
So. Chicken. I think it is one of those “neutral” meat that’s approachable, thought to be better-for-you than say, beef and frankly, one that I do eat quite often but often get bored with what it renders. The chicken marbella by Ms. Sheila Lukins is simply amazing! And the secret ingredients that take chicken to the next level? PRUNES! Who would have even thought that marinating chicken with prunes, green olives, capers, olive oil, oregano, red wine vinegar (& a few others) would create this delightfully tantalizing chicken?! It’s the perfect melange of flavors; savory, salty, sweet, and sour with just the right amount of decadence of olive oil fat infused into chicken that makes me salivate. And the best part? It’s super EZ! Everyone will think you spent hours cooking it;) Just marinate overnight, pop it in the oven the next day and voila – chicken marbella.
With much thanks and full credits to Oprah Winfrey who shared the Chicken Marbella recipe on her site – here’s my attempt which turned out beautifully; served with sauteed arugula & smashed roasted potatoes. Total comfort food. Also was able to use cold leftover slices tossed with a salad for a meal the next day.
Share your FAV chicken recipe HERE!!!
Made with two tablespoons of love; love for food, love for life.
-ck
