RECIPE: Unorthodox technique yields speedy Marbella-style chicken

A classic of 1980s American dinner parties, sweet and tangy chicken Marbella was a breakout hit from “The Silver Palate Cookbook.” It’s relatively simple to prepare — marinate bone-in chicken, dried fruit, olives and capers in wine, oil and vinegar before baking in a moderate oven — but it is time-consuming. Luckily, it’s easy to harness those same flavors in a pared-down version perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Sweet, sour and briny flavors are key to the dish. And while the original recipe uses multiple ingredients to fulfill each of these categories, you can choose one of each for this simplified recipe: sweet prunes, sour sherry vinegar and briny green olives. Slicing the prunes and olives maximizes their ability to share their flavors with the rest of the dish; using boldly fruity sherry vinegar instead of traditional red wine vinegar adds depth to the quick-cooking dish. A generous amount of thinly sliced garlic cloves (start with pre-peeled to save time) rounds things out.

To cut down on cooking time, use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of bone-in, which you’ll sear in an untraditional way — by crowding the pan. At first, the thighs will steam and stick to the bottom, but don’t fret (or try to dislodge the chicken). After the thighs have spent enough time nestled together in a hot, oiled skillet, all of their liquid will evaporate and they will brown enough to pop right off of the skillet. From there, add the remaining ingredients, along with a bit of water, and rapidly simmer while covered until the chicken has cooked through.

I like to serve this Marbella-ish Chicken with mashed potatoes, but it’s equally good with steamed rice or crusty bread.

Marbella-ish Chicken