Chicken Marbella

We got a new dining set recently from Rooms to Go, and I absolutely love it. It seats 6 and it's very modern and contemporary. I was very excited to host a dinner party with my new table, so we invited a few friends over and I decided to cook a dinner from my friend Lani's blog because she is an amazing cook and I had this meal at her house recently and loved it.

It was easy to make and everyone liked it. I used chicken quarters but you can basically use any type of bone-in chicken I think. The dried fruit gives the chicken a sweetness in every bite. I served this with smashed potatoes (see my next post).

Chicken Marbella
from Lani's blog

Several pieces of chicken, I used 1/4 chickens (this dish really needs skin-on chicken to keep the meat moist)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup Italian seasoning
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup dried apples
1/2 cup craisins
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine
1 bag carrots, peeled and julienned (I used pre-cut carrots)

Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic and dried fruit in a bowl. Place the chicken in a large bowl with lid. Pour olive oil mixture on top of the chicken, and let marinate in fridge overnight.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375. Arrange carrots on the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place chicken and marinade with fruit on top. Sprinkle with brown sugar, and pour wine around chicken. Cover with foil. Bake for 50 minutes, occasionally basting with juices. Remove foil and cook for 10 more minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.