chicken marbella, but make it chicken salad
with olives, prunes, red wine vin and all the good stuff
before we dive in, i have a confession to make: i don’t like chicken marbella. or at least not the beloved go-to recipe for chicken marbella. i’ve given it two recent shots, hoping with the second round that the first was just a mistake on my part, but each time i was disappointed by an oily mess that, for all the flavor it should have thanks to a 24 hour marinade and lots of bold ingredients, was extraordinarily bland. it seemed like all the flavors were fighting each other; it was some of the worst chicken i’d eaten (and made tbh) in years.
as i was puzzling this over in my mind, wondering how i could potentially adapt the classic recipe to make it taste better (for me, but also for others?), i decided to try forgoing the oven completely (i may have been sweating my way through a heat dome, yes) and chicken salad-ify it. it didn’t take much effort to put together and from the first bite i knew it worked well, offering a truly delicious meld across the full range of flavors i was hoping to get from the original: briny, salty, sweet, sour, savory.
i’m a fan of the chicken salad genre in general (pasta and potato salads too, of course) and find summer the perfect time to make it. whether you pick up a rotisserie chicken or use leftover grilled, roasted or poached chicken, a great chicken salad can pretty much be made in about 10 minutes with from bits and bobs in the fridge for a quick lunch or dinner; one of my favorites is literally just with leftover shredded chicken, thinly sliced, salted and squeezed cucumbers, chili crisp, scallions and mayo.
with only a little more time and effort, you can make a large batch (i’m taking a whole chicken’s worth) to dip into on days when you don’t feel like cooking (or simply don’t have time to) but need something satisfying. it can be eaten as is with just a spoon, over a steamed grain, wrapped into leaves of lettuce or served over a salad, scooped up with crackers or chips, tucked between bread or made part of a snack plate dinner.
while i was developing this marbella-ish chicken salad, i tried it in few variations—cubed and shredded, with and without mayo, with and without additional fillings in sandwiches—and they all worked well, so you can peruse the recipe as written and very easily choose your own path.
if you omit the mayo, it would be an especially good chicken salad for picnics and occasions where it might be sitting out a bit as we all know mayo-laden salads at barbecues can be a bit sketch. while there are no real limits to what you could add if you fold it into a sandwich, i personally like and recommend thinly sliced cukes, tomato or red onion, a big handful of your favorite salted (salt and vinegar or even salt and pepper) potato chips or a little handful of extra parsley.
another -ish published this time two years ago:
greek-ish salad dip
greek salads are hands down my favorite summer salads. i say “salads” plural because i’m talking about both the more well-known horiatiki greek salad—tomato, cucumber, onion, feta, olives with salt, oregano, lemon or vinegar, olive oil—and maroulosalata—romaine, cucumber, dill and/or parsley, scallion, feta, lemon, olive oil. this dip was heavily inspir…
marbella-ish chicken salad
serves 4
for the chicken salad
600 grams cooked, cooled chicken (either leftover or from a rotisserie chicken)
2 cloves garlic
100 grams pitted, mixed olives
100 grams pitted prunes (about 10 prunes)
one big handful fresh parsley (leaves and tender stems)
1 scallion
3 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons caper brine (substitute: more vinegar)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon bay leaf powder (optional; “recipe” is here)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons mayo (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
to serve as sandwiches
4 bread rolls (or 1 baguette)
1 romaine heart or 1/2 head iceberg lettuce
1 lemon (zest and juice)
cube or shred 600 grams chicken and add to a large bowl. peel 2 garlic cloves and use a microplane to finely grate garlic into the bowl with the chicken. roughly chop 100 grams pitted olives, 100 grams pitted prunes, a big handful of fresh parsley and 1 scallion and add to the bowl. add 3 tablespoons capers plus 2 tablespoons brine, 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon bay leaf powder (if using), 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons mayo (if using), 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper.
mix well to combine, then taste and season with more vinegar, salt and pepper as desired. it should be punchy, fresh and equally salty and sweet. cover and let chill in the fridge for up to 24 hours or use immediately.
let the chilled chicken salad come up to temperature on the counter for about 15 minutes then serve as desired, which for me, means as a sandwich: slice each roll (or a baguette) in half almost all the way through, you’ll want to leave a hinge on this one; use your fingers to pull some of the inside of the bread out to make extra room for filling, if desired. shred 1/2 iceberg or 1 romaine heart finely and toss with the zest and juice from 1 lemon. add a generous amount of chicken salad into the sliced rolls and top with lettuce. close the sandwich and press firmly, then wrap in wax paper if desired before slicing and serving immediately.
