This Quick and Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella recipe is made with sweet prunes, green olives, and capers. This retro redo is a simple chicken dinner idea that packs BIG, BOLD flavor with minimal effort. Whether you plan ahead to marinate overnight for maximum Marbella flavor or you just want to get a delicious dinner on the table with only a few minutes of prep time to spare, our Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella tastes great with almost zero hassle.
{{ The recipe for this Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella and the post that goes with it was made in partnership with California Olives! We received compensation and product in exchange for it. Opinions are always our own. If we don’t love it, you don’t hear about it. Thanks for your continued support! }}
Chicken Marbella has an interesting history....
It was actually the most popular dish on the menu at the Silver Palate Cafe in NYC back in the day. It wasn't until 1982 when the cookbook inspired by the restaurant was published that the recipe for Chicken Marbella became nationally known and incredibly popular.
The original Silver Palate Chicken Marbella recipe involves four whole chickens! Which is just a bit too much Marbella for me! Plus, it takes days to marinate and over an hour to bake. Just go ahead and count me out, I do not have 3 days to pull dinner together and I'm betting neither do you.
Our weeknight take on the classic Marbella recipe cuts the cooking time in half and calls for the same core ingredients, so we aren't sacrificing any flavor! However, I did leave out any fancy prep techniques for the marinade, I mean who wants to finely chop things or wash a food processor? Plus, using boneless, skinless chicken thighs eliminates the need for pan searing the chicken!
Classic ingredients, complex flavors!
Chicken Marbella combines the complex flavors of sweet and briny so perfectly, its like a match made in heaven! Let me break down the ingredients for you!
Chicken thighs are a popular cut of dark meat poultry because they are easy to cook and difficult to dry out! Chicken thighs also boast a lot more flavor than white meat chicken breasts. The original Chicken Marbella recipe calls for bone-in chicken thighs which take just about forever to cook on a busy weeknight. By using boneless, skinless chicken thighs we cut down on cooking time, but keep maximum flavor!
It is no secret that I LOVE prunes these days, so I was SUPER excited when our friends at CA Prunes asked us to test and photograph a few savory prune recipes. The prunes lend a deep, rich flavor and sweetness to this one pan meal that you just can't get from any other ingredient.
This Marbella gets it's trademark briny flavor note from olives, capers & caper brine. The meaty flesh of the olives and the smooth, buttery, briny bite of the capers really make a great contrast to the sweetness of the prunes.
Red Wine Vinegar
Tart and tangy, red wine vinegar packs a serious flavor punch in this easy chicken dinner. Soaking your uncooked chicken in a marinade containing vinegar can add flavor and moisture to the meat , while also tenderizing it.
Julia Childs is credited with the phrase "I enjoy cooking with wine. Sometimes, I even put it in the food . . ." That is true here in this Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella recipe! Southern Living states that "a dry white is simply any white wine that isn't sweet. For cooking, you want a wine with a high acidity known in wine-speak as "crisp." Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, and dry sparkling wines are especially good."
Dark Brown Sugar
While the original Chicken Marbella recipe called for an entire cup of brown sugar, I just couldn't go there. We are more of a savory than sweet bunch when it comes to chicken. The prunes in this recipe are naturally sweet on their own, so I promise you won't miss it! Plus, less sugar is always good when you are feeding kid's isn't it?!
Proscuitto
There is nothing and I mean NOTHING that I love more than a crisp piece of prosciutto! It lends such incredible flavor to this dish without a lot of hassle.
However, if you find yourself without proscuitto you can top this fully cooked Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella with chopped slices of cooked crispy bacon right before serving! It is equally delicious, just slightly different!
A friend of ours had surgery recently and I made a covid friendly drop off of a bag of marinated Chicken Marbella ready for pouring on the sheet pan and baking. We couldn't find prosciutto at the time, but the bacon was a huge hit and an easy swap.
This chicken Marbella is good hot or at room temperature, just like the original!
I've been telling all of our friends and family that this Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella recipe of ours is a great chicken idea for dinner literally any night of the week! We certainly hope you try it too!
If you’ve made our Quick and Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella I would be so grateful if you would rate the recipe and let me know what you think in the comments below! I just love hearing from you and your reviews and comments really help others that visit This Mess is Ours.
PrintQuick and Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella
Don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know what you think about this Quick and Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Marbella recipe in the comments below, I just love hearing from you and your reviews/comments really help other people that visit This Mess is Ours!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dinner
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
¼ cup good olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¾ cup large pitted prunes, halved
½ cup large, pitted, California green olives, halved ¼ cup capers with the brine
3 bay leaves
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons black pepper
½ tablespoon coarse kosher salt
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
½ cup dry white wine
6 slices prosciutto
Instructions
Combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, ½ tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper in a large bowl or large plastic storage bag. Add the chicken to the marinade. Refrigerate for at least an hour or up to overnight, turning occasionally to be sure the marinade coats everything.
Place oven rack in the center position, and heat to 425°F.
After marinating, transfer the chicken and all of the marinade to a sheet pan. Sprinkle the chicken thighs with the dark brown sugar and pour the white wine around the pan.
Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully, add the prosciutto slices to the pan around the chicken and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F and is browned and crisp.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 - 1 ½ chicken thighs
- Calories: 461
- Sugar: 3.1 g
- Sodium: 2043.3 mg
- Fat: 27.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 31.1 g
- Protein: 25.7 g
- Cholesterol: 78.9 mg
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Heather says
Made this recipe almost exactly as posted but I added more capers, olives and prunes.
It was fantastic!!! It was easy to prepare and it taste like I had spent all day cooking.
Even my picky husband liked it!
Thank you.
Summer Dickerhoof says
So happy to hear!
Gwen Beaulieu says
Ohh my! This was fabulous!!! Can’t wait to make it again!
Elizabeth says
Does it have to be on a sheet pan? Is there a reason or can I use a casserole dish or a pan?
Eliza Clendenin says
Hi Elizabeth!
Although I highly recommend using a sheet pan, you can use a casserole dish if you would prefer. If you decide that you would rather use a casserole dish instead of a sheet pan there is a good chance that the cooking times will need to increase to properly cook everything!
Let us know how it goes, & enjoy!
Nancy says
Made the Chicken Marbella tonight. So much flavor. Next time I will lower the heat a bit. 425 seems a bit high. Juices on the edge burned. Also, prosciutto isn’t really needed. An expensive add on and although always good, the dish just didn’t need it. And, being an olive lover, may add more. They were so good with the sweetness of the prunes. Definitely will make again. Yummy.
frances doezema says
This was absolutely awesome!
Katie says
This sounds delicious! I live in Italy and can't buy thighs without the bones. Do you know how much longer I would have to cook this? Would I have to sear them first? Thank you!
meg@thismessisours says
Hi! It should take about 35-40 minutes total to bake bone-in chicken thighs or until the chicken reaches 165°F. I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!