Chicken Marbella Pasta

I have an acquaintance that keeps kosher. This intrigues and inspires me for a lot of reasons, and I'm forever trying to copy what she cooks. Especially now that I'm dairy free. But, also because she eats every single meal at home. That's a lot of dedication, and that takes a lot of creativity to not lose your mind with boredom and repitition.

So, she recently showed off a picture of the classic dish from The Silver Palate cookbook, chicken marbella. Yum. It had been years since I'd made it, but that picture planted a seed in my head. I knew I had to have it soon.

It started with a package of bone-in chicken breasts. I did not thaw them in time, so I poached the whole four pounds. I ended up with way too much chicken, and next time, I'll cut this down a little. But, hey, you gotta work with what you have.

I sauteed onions and garlic (as every good recipe begins), then added white wine to deglaze the pan.

Let that cook until the wine is almost completely evaporated.

Then, I added chicken broth. Just because cooking is weird like that. First you cook out the liquid, then you add more. Whatever. I just know that it tasted good.

I added chopped green olives, oregano, a little brown sugar, and chopped prunes.

After that whole lot simmered for quite a while, I added the cooked chicken. Don't add the chicken too early, cause you don't want it to be dry and over cooked. Too late, though, and the flavors won't have time to mingle. It's a goldilocks moment.

I served this over fettucini, and it was a winner. I'll definitely make it again. All thanks to that sweet kosher friend. Thanks for the idea, Michelle!

Chicken Marbella pasta
adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook

2-4 bone in chicken breasts (I used 4; next time will use 2)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/4 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/4 cup capers with a bit of juice
2 bay leaves
2 T brown sugar
2 T oregano
1/2 cup white wine
3 T red wine or balsamic vinegar
cooked fettucini

Poach chicken breasts in enough water to cover. When chicken is done (about 30 minutes), remove from broth, shred meat, and reserve chicken broth.

Saute onion and garlic in 1 T olive oil. Deglaze pan with white wine. Allow mixture to simmer until liquid is almost all evaporated. Add about 2 cups chicken broth to skillet, along with prunes, olives, capers, bay leaves, oregano, and brown sugar. Allow mixture to simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

Add chicken to pan, along with vinegar. Add more chicken broth if needed to get mixture to saucy consistency, around 1/2-1 cup. Add cooked fettucini to pan, toss with sauce, and serve immediately.

I'm linked to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. Lots of good ideas there!