Ottolenghi’s Chicken Marbella

My most cooked dish of the year for both my husband and my meat lover friends. Since I do not eat meat myself, I needed a dish that is for sure tasty for my guests that love meat. And Chicken Marbella saved my life! They say it is tasty, full of flavor and brings the chicken taste at the next level!

Ingredients (for 4 persons) :

• 8 chicken legs (about 2 kg), skin scored a few times (I use both whole legs and drumsticks)
• 120 gr dried Medjool dates, pitted and quartered lengthwise
• 15 gr fresh oregano leaves, plus extra to serve
• 60 gr capers, plus 2 tablespoons of their juice
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon date molasses
• 100 gr pitted green olives
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 120 ml dry white wine
• salt and black pepper
• 2 bay leaves

Method :

1. Place the chicken in a large nonreactive bowl and add all of the remaining ingredients, apart from the wine and date molasses. Gently mix everything together, cover the bowl, and leave in the fridge to marinate for 1 to 2 days, stirring the ingredients a few times during the process.
2. Prehead the oven to 180°C.
3. Spread the chicken legs out on a medium high-sided baking pan, along with all the marinade ingredients. Whisk together the wine and molasses and pour over the meat. Place in the oven and cook for 50 minutes, basting two or three times, until the meat is golden brown on top and cooked through.
4. Remove from the oven, transfer everything to a large platter, sprinkle some freshly picked oregano leaves and serve.