You’ll love this quicker and lighter Hen Marbella. Hen thighs are cooked on the stove-top with prunes, Spanish olives, capers, garlic and oregano for a flavorful and simple Mediterranean-style dish!
Lightened-Up Hen Marbella
I really like discovering new methods to cook dinner hen thighs, and this Mediterranean fashion dinner is certain to grow to be a daily in your recipe rotation! The mix of the candy prunes and the salty tang of the capers and olives makes Hen Marbella a scrumptious dish that balances the style of the contrasting flavors fantastically. Another hen thigh recipes that you just would possibly wish to try are Braised Hen Thighs with Mushroom and Leeks, Baked Hen Thighs, and Air Fryer Asian-Glazed Hen Thighs.
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Hen Marbella is considered one of my favourite recipes from the basic Silver Palate Cookbook. Earlier than making this dish, I had NO concept how a lot I preferred prunes, ha! I additionally had no concept how completely prunes paired with olives and capers… it’s a candy and salty combo that simply works.
How To Make A More healthy Hen Marbella
The unique Hen Marbella recipe is made with 1 cup of brown sugar (yikes), a complete head of garlic pureed (time consuming!), 1 cup of wine (that’s much more sugar)… plus, the hen must marinate in a single day.
I made a decision to attempt to make this dish not solely a lot lighter, but additionally a lot quicker. First, I in the reduction of the sugar to simply 1 tablespoon. As an alternative of pores and skin on hen items, I used eliminated the pores and skin from my hen thigh items. I additionally swapped the complete pureed head of garlic for simply 6 chopped cloves, and I used low-sodium hen broth rather than the white wine.
Additionally, as an alternative of utilizing a marinade for the hen, I simply cooked every part on the stove-top, making a scrumptious pan-sauce with the pan juices on the finish. Truthfully, I like this lighter and quicker model even higher than the unique!
Elements
Right here’s what you’ll want (see full substances with measurements are on the backside of this submit within the recipe card):
- Further-Virgin Olive Oil: Provides a wealthy, fruity base to start out the cooking course of.
- Bone-in Hen Thighs: The principle protein, with the pores and skin eliminated providing juicy, flavorful meat that turns into tender when cooked.
- Garlic Cloves: Thinly sliced to infuse the dish with an fragrant taste.
- Pitted Prunes: Halved and added for a candy distinction that balances savory flavors.
- Spanish Inexperienced Olives: Halved for a briny, tangy kick that enhances the sweetness of the prunes.
- Capers plus Brine: Convey a burst of salty, pickled taste, with the brine (the juice from the jar) including an additional zing.
- Dried Bay Leaves: Impart a refined, natural essence that deepens the dish’s complexity.
- Dried Oregano: Provides a touch of earthy, minty taste that’s basic in Mediterranean cooking.
- Brown Sugar: Darkish brown or gentle brown sugar gives a contact of sweetness to spherical out the savory notes.
- Kosher Salt: For taste.
- Freshly Floor Black Pepper: Provides a slight warmth and fragrant depth.
- Low Sodium Hen Broth: The liquid base that helps to cook dinner the hen whereas maintaining it moist and including taste.
- Purple Wine Vinegar: Introduces an acidic brightness, balancing the wealthy and candy parts.
How To Make Hen Marbella
- First, warmth olive oil in a big skillet over excessive warmth till it’s shimmering. Subsequent, add the hen, skinned facet down, then cowl and let it cook dinner till it turns a deep golden brown. After that, flip the hen over, cowl it once more, and let it cook dinner till it’s golden on this second facet. Following that, add garlic to the skillet and stir till it turns into aromatic.
- Then, introduce the prunes, olives, capers and brine, bay leaves, and oregano into the skillet, spreading them out evenly across the hen. Season the hen with brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Pour the hen broth and vinegar over every part and convey it to a boil.
- Afterward, scale back the warmth to low, cowl, and let it simmer till the hen is totally cooked by. Subsequent, fastidiously transfer the hen to a serving platter, then deliver the skillet again to the range over excessive warmth. Let the sauce cook dinner, swirling it sometimes, till it has diminished and barely thickened.
- Lastly, spoon the pan sauce over the hen on the serving platter and serve. (See full recipe and instructions within the recipe card under.)
Variations
- Hen: Use bone-in hen breasts or drumsticks as an alternative. For those who don’t thoughts the additional energy, you may as well use skin-on hen.
- Recent Herbs: High with recent Italian parsley
What To Serve with Hen Marbella
I serve this dish over couscous with an enormous inexperienced salad and my husband at all times will get excited when Marbella is on the menu. This might additionally go nice with crusty bread, rice or rice pilaf, roasted potatoes, and even cauliflower rice to maintain it gentle. Let me know within the feedback for those who love this dish (and prunes!) as a lot as I do.
Hen Marbella is a basic dish that first gained reputation within the Eighties, due to “The Silver Palate Cookbook” by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. It’s recognized for its distinctive mixture of flavors, mixing candy, bitter, and savory in a manner that was fairly revolutionary for its time. The dish is made with hen marinated in olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers, and a mixture of herbs and spices, then baked till golden and tender.
Sure, Hen Marbella freezes fairly properly, making it a fantastic make-ahead dish for meal planning or making ready meals forward for the month.
If frozen, it’s greatest to thaw hen marbella in a single day within the fridge. It may be reheated within the oven, lined, at 350°F (175°C) till heated by, about 20-Half-hour or microwaved 3 to 4 minutes.
Storage
To refrigerate or freeze this hen marbella recipe, place the hen in hermetic freezer-safe containers or zip-top freezer luggage. If utilizing a plastic storage bag, squeeze out as a lot air as attainable to stop freezer burn. Pour in a few of the cooking sauce to maintain the hen moist. Refrigerate as much as 4 days or freeze as much as 3 months.
Extra Hen Thigh Recipes
Yield: 6 servings
Serving Dimension: 1 hen thigh with sauce)
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Warmth olive oil in a big skillet over excessive warmth till shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add the hen, skinned facet down, then cowl and cook dinner till deep golden brown, about 10 minutes.
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Flip hen, cowl once more and cook dinner till golden on second facet, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook dinner, stirring till aromatic, about 1 minute.
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Add the prunes, olives, capers and brine, bay leaves and oregano to the skillet, arranging them evenly across the hen. Season the hen with brown sugar, salt and pepper. Pour the hen broth and vinegar over prime and convey to a boil.
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Scale back warmth to low, cowl and simmer till hen is cooked by, 15 to twenty minutes.
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Rigorously switch the hen to a serving platter then return the skillet to the range over excessive warmth. Cook dinner sauce, swirling sometimes, till diminished and barely thickened, about 5 minutes.
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Spoon pan sauce and over hen and serve.
Final Step:
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Serving: 1 hen thigh with sauce), Energy: 323 kcal, Carbohydrates: 14 g, Protein: 38 g, Fats: 12 g, Saturated Fats: 2.5 g, Ldl cholesterol: 179 mg, Sodium: 713 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 8 g
