For everyone that keeps asking for this, I have delivered.
This recipe is incredibly simple, fairly healthy, and definitely open for interpretation, so feel free to adjust and add your own flair.
2+lbs of chicken, depending on how much you want to make. I’ve mostly used frozen boneless/skinless breasts and thighs, but also really enjoyed some bone-in (skin-on) portions as well, and they probably have a better flavor.
2 cups (total) of 3 (or more) different kinds of pitted or sliced olives. I typically use garlic stuffed, kalamata, and spanish olives.
1/2 cup capers/caper juice
1/4 cup dried plums (or prunes, however apparently that’s not as sexy as “dried plums”, because rarely can I find a packaged boldy labeled as “prunes”)
5-10 (depending on taste) whole garlic cloves
3 Tbl coconut sugar (optional)
dry white wine - I usually use sauvignon blanc, but really it’s just whatever I can find for less than 4 bucks.
The most work you’ll do for this is finding everything at the store and opening all the containers. I usually do all the preparation the night before I plan to serve this, and let the chicken thaw/marinate in the fridge until an hour before I plan to serve. I’ve also put this together the morning of, and it’s okay, but the more time you can let this marinate the better.
Dump the frozen chicken meat in your pan, and drizzle your red wine vinegar and olive oil over the meat. I use enough chicken to fill a 9x13 pan, and that serves about 3-4 people, depending on the size of the people and sides I’m serving with it.
Dump your olives, capers, plums, and garlic over and around the chicken. I love olives, so I usually use quite a bit, I’ll eyeball two or more cups (total, not each) of the different olives. If I’m using garlic stuffed olives, I usually forgo any additional garlic, but if you’re going to add it now is the time. When I make mine, I also use a little juice from each of the olives as well as the capers, totaling around 1/2 a cup. Most recipes call for exclusively caper juice, but this is my recipe so it’s my rules.
Cover that gloriously delicious junk and stick it in the fridge to thaw and marinate. Forget about it, if you can, until about an hour before you plan to gorge yourself.
Preheat your oven to 350°. Add your almonds, and sprinkle the coconut sugar over the chicken. If you don’t have coconut sugar, you can use brown sugar, but it ain’t the same, let me tell ya.
Right before you pop it in, add your white wine, being careful to not pour over the chicken, but just adding it to the sides. Now, let me caveat this: I don’t typically use the wine. Since I thaw my chicken while it marinates, there’s so much water and juices already in the pan that I never need more. However, if you’re using fresh chicken, this step would be essential. Sometimes, if I really want to add the wine, I’ll drain the chicken juices out with a baster so as to not disturb each perfectly placed olive, but I find that the wine doesn’t really change the flavor that much.
Cook that business for 45 minutes to an hour. The cooking time primarily depends on how thick your chicken is and whether or not you have skin and bones. I like mine pretty roasty and caramelized on top (thank you coconut sugar), so my boneless/skinless breasts cook for closer to an hour.
and ENJOY. I love to make this for others, as it’s fairly exotic and different, and tastes like you slaved away all day, rather than dumped a bunch of chaos on some chicken and left it to mingle all by its lonesome. I usually serve it with rice or quinoa and a salad, but roasted potatoes also pair really well.
Let me know what you think and if you have any questions!