Marinade
1. The chicken will need to marinate for at least two hours or overnight. The pilaf cooks for 2-3 hours in the oven and the chicken will cook in the oven next to the pilaf for the last 40 minutes, so plan accordingly. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Place the chicken breasts and thighs in a large bowl (glass is best). Sprinkle the chicken with 2 tsp. of Kosher salt, 1 tsp. of pepper and 1/4 cup of oregano. Mix the chicken so that it is covered with the seasonings. If you have a garlic press, press the garlic cloves from both heads of garlic over the chicken. If you do not have a press, just mince the garlic finely. Mix the chicken one more time to spread the garlic around. Over the chicken, pour: 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar and 1/4 cup of olive oil.
3. Slice the cornichons into tiny rounds and toss them into the bowl with the cornichon brine. Add in the prunes, pitted olives and the bay leaves to the chicken as well. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or at least 2 hours).
Pilaf & Chicken
1. For the pilaf you will start by very coarsely chopping the 1/2 cup of blanched almonds and browning them on the stove in a large dry pan over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes. Do not step away or the nuts will go from blanched to burnt in seconds.
2. Set the nuts aside in a bowl or plate and then add 1 Tbsp. of oil to the pan. Over medium high heat, heat the oil and when warm, toss in 1/2 cup of the broken vermicelli. Stir the vermicelli to coat with oil and continue cooking and stirring until the vermicelli are a dark golden brown. Set the vermicelli aside with the nuts.
3. Chop the onion and two cloves of garlic. Add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil to the pan, over medium heat. Toss the onion into the pan and sauté until it becomes translucent. Then, add in the minced garlic and 1 cup of barley. Sauté for 2 more minutes. In the pan, add the toasted vermicelli and almond. Toss to mix everything together.
4. Add everything from the pan into a 3 quart baking dish as well as 4 cups of chicken broth.
5. Place the dish in the oven and cook uncovered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the stock iscompletely absorbed.
6. Now to finish the chicken. Take out a baking tray or two oven safe serving dishes that will fit all the chicken without crowding it. Arrange the chicken on your tray or serving dishes in a single layer. Pour the marinade, prunes, cornichons, bay leaves and olives around the chicken. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of brown sugar on top of the chicken. If you like a sweeter dish, you can use up to 1/2 cup of brown sugar. If you like tangy and vinegary dishes, 1/4 cup is plenty.
7. Pour 1/2 cup of white wine around the chicken and cook for 40 minutes at 350°F.
8. Once the chicken is cooked through, you can separate the pan juices to serve on the side and pour over the chicken and pilaf, or you can leave it together in the serving dish.
Whatever you do, be sure to spoon some sauce over the chicken and the pilaf before digging in!