This is our new favourite meal and given half a chance we would eat it at least once a week! Its a forgiving recipe and I am sure you could adjust it to suit your tastes, hold the capers, increase the olives, leave off the coriander.

Bridget's chicken with capers, olives and prunes.

Marinade:
8 chicken thighs - remove skin
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup dried oregano (or Italian herbs)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1/4 cup capers (with a little of their juice)
3 bay leaves

Before baking:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh coriander

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a glass jug and pour over the chicken thighs. Marinade overnight or all day. I find depending on how much olive oil I use that sometimes the marinade can solidify in which case leave the chicken out for longer before cooking.

Before cooking sprinkle the brown sugar and wine over the chicken. You can adjust the amounts you want to use at this point. I like to make sure the baking dish I use is shallow enough that some chicken pokes out so this goes brown and sticky when cooking.

Bake uncovered for 50-60 mins, basting frequently.

At this point remove the chicken from the marinade and transfer to a serving dish. Pour the sauce into a pan and reduce until thickened to your liking. I usually boil rapidly for a few minutes and then add a mixture of 2 or 3 tsp of cornflour dissolved in hot water. This helps the sauce to thicken and gives it a glossy texture.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve over steamed rice.

This meal is even better the next day for leftovers.