Chicken Marbella with olive dressing
SERVES 4-6 // PREP TIME 20 MINS // COOK 1 HR (PLUS CURING)
This riff on chicken Marbella uses black grapes and Sicilian olives to balance the sweet with the tangy. The chicken is spatchcocked which not only reduces cooking time but allows it to stew in its own briny, sweet pan juices.
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp cracked black pepper
1 chicken (about 1.8kg), spatchcocked 2 garlic bulbs, halved horizontally
125 ml (½ cup) dry white wine
200 gm whole artichoke hearts in brine, drained
500 gm black grapes, snipped into clusters
OLIVE DRESSING
40 gm (½ cup) Sicilian green olives, pitted, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 golden shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
60 ml (¼ cup) Sherry vinegar
60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
1 For cure mixture, combine 3 tsp sea salt flakes, dried oregano, sugar and pepper in a small bowl. Dry chicken with paper towel then lay, skin-side up, on a non-reactive tray and rub all over with cure mixture. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
2 Preheat oven to 220°C fan-forced. Place garlic, cut-side up, in middle of a large ovenproof pan and lay chicken on top; bake for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 180°C fan-forced. Pour in wine and arrange artichokes and grapes around chicken; return to oven and bake until chicken is cooked (30 minutes); set aside to rest (15 minutes), reserving pan juices for dressing.
3 Meanwhile, for dressing, combine olives, parsley, shallot and lemon rind in a small bowl. Place vinegar in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil for 1 minute. Turn off heat, and stir in olive oil and 2 tbsp reserved pan juices; season to taste. Pour over olive mixture and stir to combine.
4 Serve chicken with grapes, artichokes and olive dressing.