Well this was bloody marvellous. Mum and dad came round for dinner recently and I cooked Chicken Marbella and whole roasted cauliflower, both from Ottolenghi’s ‘Simple’ cookbook, alongside some little roasted new potatoes with extra garlic because that’s mum’s favourite. Highly recommend; I’ll definitely be whipping this out for visitors many times to come.
Serves 4:
✔️8 chicken legs (Sainsbury’s had sold out so I used thighs and drumsticks)
✔️5 garlic cloves, crushed
✔️15g fresh oregano, torn, plus extra for garnish
✔️3 tbsp red wine vinegar
✔️3 tbsp olive oil
✔️100g pitted green olives
✔️60g capers, plus 2 tbsp of their juices
✔️120g pitted and quartered lengthways Medjool dates
✔️2 bay leaves
✔️120ml dry white wine
✔️1 tbsp date syrup or treacle
✔️Salt and black pepper
Place the chicken in a large, non-reactive bowl and add all of the ingredients, apart from the wine and date molasses, along with ¾ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. 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.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Spread out the chicken legs on a large baking tray, 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 2 or 3 times, until the meat is golden brown on top and cooked through.
Remove from the oven, transfer everything to a large platter, sprinkle over some freshly picked oregano leaves and serve.
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