Chicken Scarpariello, the Shoemaker’s Dish

Name: Chicken Scarpariello
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 3 pounds bone-in chicken breast and thighs (breast quartered; thighs halved); 1 pound sweet sausage; 8 -10cloves garlic, smashed; 1 cup pickled cherry peppers, sliced; 1 Tbs. dried oregano; 1 cup dry white wine; 1/4 cup red wine vinegar or juice from pickled cherry peppers; 1 cup chicken broth; salt u0026amp; pepper; Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Our Editor-in-Chief shares an Italian adage and the recipe for a tangy chicken recipe that is great for winter.

By Andrew Cotto

9:00 AM EST on January 23, 2024

There's an expression in Italian, roughly translated, that "Everything is good fried, even shoes." I'm starting to think the same way about pickled cherry peppers (and pickled food in general) as there are so many things I enjoy cherry peppers piled upon.

Coincidently, speaking of shoes, one of my favorite winter dishes is Chicken Scarpariello, or the "the shoemaker's chicken." My adoration with pickled cherry peppers began with this dish (as well as the pork chop at Bamonte's Restaurant in Brooklyn) and returns every winter as the combination of chicken, sausage, tons of garlic and a blanket of pickled cherry peppers (in a tangy sauce, sopped up with lots of bread) just punches back at winter like few other meals.

Give this one a try, and I'll take a stab at pickled cherry peppers on a shoe.

Chicken Scarpariello

Recipe by Andrew Cotto

0.0 from 0 votes

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

3 pounds 3 bone-in chicken breast and thighs (breast quartered; thighs halved)
1 pound 1 sweet sausage
8 8 -10cloves garlic, smashed
1 cup 1 pickled cherry peppers, sliced
1 Tbs. 1 dried oregano
1 cup 1 dry white wine
1/4 cup 1/4 red wine vinegar or juice from pickled cherry peppers
1 cup 1 chicken broth
salt & pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Season the chicken pieces with salt & pepper.
Heat an oven-proof, large skillet over medium-high heat.
When hot, coat the bottom of the skillet with olive oil.
Add the sausage and brown evenly on all sides (4-5 minutes total).
Remove the browned sausage to a plate.
Add the chicken and brown evenly on all sides (8-10 minutes).
Remove the browned chicken to a plate.
Lower the heat to medium.
Add the garlic and sliced cherry peppers. Stir.
Before the garlic burns, add the white wine and scrap the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
Add the chicken broth and vinegar (or pepper juice).
Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and let reduce for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken and juices to the skillet, put in the oven for 8-10 minutes.
Nestle the sausage among the chicken and roast for five minutes.
Remove the skillet and transfer the contents to a large platter.
Serve immediately with lots of crusty bread for the sauce!