Ina Garten Still Loves to Make This 1980s Dinner Party Recipe—and I’m Hooked Now, Too

Over the years, Ina Garten has taught me countless lessons, subtly and by the spoonful or sip. A denim button-up and polished pair of flats are always in style. Very often, store-bought is just fine. Chicken breasts can be juicy and flavorful. And many times, timeless recipes can be far more comforting than the latest TikTok trends.

About 5 years ago, Ina Garten shared on social media that her friend, filmmaker Nora Ephron “once joked that whenever you went to a dinner party in New York in the ‘80s, Chicken Marbella was on the menu.” That’s because this chicken dinner recipe was a restaurant menu mainstay at the time, and after its appearance in 1982’s The Silver Palate Cookbook (named after the restaurant of the same name), it became a staple for home cooks, too.

For Ina’s 2018 cookbook Cook Like a Pro, she updated the sweet-and-savory roast chicken dish with more garlic and less brown sugar, and admits that it’s “now happily it's one of my favorite make-ahead recipes for a dinner party.” Yes, even four decades after it was originally en vogue. “I assemble the whole thing the night before and just pop it in the oven before dinner!” How easy is that?

How to Make Ina’s Chicken Marbella Recipe

Fans agree, calling this recipe “a keeper” and “much like going to a top-rated restaurant.” Another adds that “the best part is that it looks like you spent all day cooking, but it’s really easy to make. You don't even have to chop anything.” 

Consider me sold on giving this recipe a shot this week. I dug up Ina’s refreshed recipe, and followed her low-fuss instructions:

1. Marinate the chicken. In a large bowl, add “good” olive oil and red wine vinegar, pitted prunes, pitted green olives, capers, caper brine, bay leaves, minced garlic, dried oregano, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Add the meat from 2 chickens, cut into 8 pieces each. Refrigerate overnight, using tongs to turn occasionally to ensure each side of the chicken is able to swim in the marinade.
2. Roast the bird. In a large roasting pan, evenly space the chicken (skin-side up) and pour in the marinade. Sprinkle in light brown sugar and season with more kosher salt and black pepper. Add a generous pour of dry white wine around (not on top of) the chicken, and roast for 45 to 55 minutes at 350°F, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the center of one of the thickest pieces of meat reads 145°F.
3. Serve warm, with all the juices. Carefully remove the pan from the oven, cover it tightly with foil, and let the chicken to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Find and discard the bay leaves, then use a clean pair of tongs to transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Top with the warm pan juices, prunes, olives, and capers, and season with more salt, if desired.

Tips For Making Chicken Marbella

Turns out, Chicken Marbella is one of the original “dump dinners.” In other words, after marinating, all that’s left to do is dump it all in a pan and bake it! As you can see, it’s ultra-easy to recreate, and if you’re feeling inspired to do so, here are a few tips I learned from my trial and our Test Kitchen.

• Flex with your fruit. If you can’t find or don’t love prunes, dried cherries, figs, or dates are a stellar alternative. You’re simply aiming for a chewy and sweet counterpart to balance the salty, briny, and butter olives.
• Choose your preferred cut of chicken. Ina asks for 2 whole chickens, each with the backbone removed and cut into 8 pieces (two breasts, two thighs, two drumsticks, and two wings). Some butchers are happy to assist with this if you ask. If you’re particularly fond of one cut of chicken—say, bone-in chicken thighs—feel free to use all of that cut instead.
• Swap in another spirit. The marinade includes 1 cup of dry white wine; Ina recommends Pinot Grigio, aka Pinot Gris. That’s far from your only option, though. Unoaked chardonnay (Chablis if it’s made in a certain region in France) or Albariño (our wine of summer!) would also work well here. I recently tried a rosé that Ina and Jeffrey adore, and since dry whites and rosés share similar fruity, mineral-forward elements, it would also play nicely with the acidic olives and capers, sweet prunes and brown sugar, and savory chicken in this easy dinner recipe. Pick your favorite that you’ll enjoy sipping alongside Chicken Marbella, since you’ll have an extra 17 ounces, or about 3 glasses, left in the bottle. If you prefer an alcohol-free alternative, use low-sodium chicken stock.

The Verdict on Ina Garten’s Chicken Marbella Recipe

I can see why Ina’s fans adore this as a dinner party dish. Prep time is minimal, all you need to do the day-of is pour everything into a pan and pop it into the oven, and clean-up is a breeze since it’s all cooked in one pan. The timing works out beautifully, too. Place Chicken Marbella in a preheated oven just before guests arrive, and you’ll have about 1 hour to snack on a charcuterie board (or your desired appetizer) and enjoy a round of drinks.

Once the chicken has come to temperature, sneak away and pull the pan from the oven. Allow it to rest as you encourage your guests to take their seats. As you all dig in, you’ll realize this chicken is far from boring. It is so tender, well-balanced, and flavorful. I agree with a Barefoot Contessa fan who says, “the cooking liquid is better than any other gravy imaginable,” and I adore the fact that this is a no-waste recipe since the marinade cooks down into the sauce.

You’ll want to savor every last drop of that garlic-infused, sweet-and-savory “gravy,” so I recommend serving Chicken Marbella over cooked pasta, polenta, or couscous, or a spud side dish like Million Dollar Mashed Potatoes. Add a side of Smashed Ranch Broccoli, Carrot Ribbon Salad, or roasted vegetables, and you, too, might be convinced to make this 1980s staple your signature dinner party main. 

Dried fruit, olives, and chicken might seem like odd companions at first, but trust the process…and Ina. If (hopefully when!) you try it, I think you’ll be surprised by how simple—yet simply delicious—it is. The only chopping required is for the chicken itself, if your butcher doesn’t give you a hand, and to mince the garlic. You know what that means? More time to put the finishing touches on your dinner party decor...or watch your favorite 1980s movie to get in the mood. (Hey Alexa, play Say Anything!)