Chicken Scarpariello has always been one of my favorite Italian American dishes. It has everything I want in one pan: savory sausage, plenty of garlic, peppers and that unmistakably tangy, slightly spicy sauce. And because I’m always looking for ways to put my own spin on the classics, I started thinking about what would happen if I replaced the usual pieces of chicken with something I’m currently obsessed with making: chicken meatballs.
The meatballs themselves bring another layer of flavor to the dish. Ground chicken keeps them light, while plenty of grated Parmigiano, garlic, and fresh parsley give them the savory depth you want from a really good meatball. I use a combination of bread soaked in whole milk and seasoned Italian breadcrumbs—a small detail that makes a big difference. The milk-soaked bread keeps the meatballs incredibly tender and moist, while the breadcrumbs give them just enough structure to hold together as they simmer in the sauce.
And that sauce is really what makes Scarpariello, Scarpariello. Garlic and Italian sausage form the savory base before everything is brought together with dry white wine, chicken stock, cherry pepper brine and red wine vinegar. The meatballs finish cooking right in the pan, soaking up all of those tangy, spicy, deeply savory flavors.
At the very end, I swirl in a few knobs of butter, which turns the sauce silky and luscious, followed by a squeeze of fresh lemon to wake all of that acidity back up. And for me, no Scarpariello is complete without plenty of fresh basil scattered over the top.
It’s familiar enough to still feel like the Italian American classic I love, but the tender, Parmigiano-packed chicken meatballs make it feel like an entirely new dish—and one I may love even more than the original.
Want more meatball recipes? Find more Italian-inspired favorites from Appetito.
Chicken Meatball Scarpariello
4
servings20
minutes20
minutesCHICKEN MEATBALLS
1 lb. 1 ground chicken
2 slices 2 sourdough bread, soaked in whole milk and squeezed out
¾ cup ¾ seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
1 cup 1 Parmigiano
2 2 garlic cloves, grated
1 large 1 egg
good handful of fresh parsley, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
all-purpose flour, for dredging
extra virgin olive oil, for searing
- SCARPARIELLO
2 hot 2 Italian sausages
2 2 sweet Italian sausages, all cut into large pieces
4 4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 small 1 jar (about 12 oz.) cherry peppers, torn or sliced, hot sweet or a combination
¾ ¾ dry white wine
½ cup ½ chicken stock
¼ cup ¼ red wine vinegar
¼ cup ¼ cherry pepper brine
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few knobs of butter
fresh lemon
lots of fresh basil
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, milk-soaked sourdough, seasoned breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, grated garlic, egg, parsley, sea salt and black pepper.
- Mix gently until everything is just combined, then form into about 12 meatballs.
- Lightly dredge the meatballs in flour.
- Heat a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet and sear the meatballs until deeply golden on all sides.
- They don’t need to be cooked through at this point. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the smashed garlic and let it get nice and toasted in the oil.
- Add the sausage pieces and brown them really well over a low flame.
- Add the cherry peppers, then sprinkle in the flour and toss everything together so it gets lightly coated. Let the flour cook for a minute.
- Deglaze with the white wine, scraping up everything from the bottom of the pan, and let the wine reduce slightly.
- Add the chicken stock, red wine vinegar, reserved cherry pepper brine, sea salt and black pepper.
- Return the chicken meatballs to the skillet and let everything simmer together until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has reduced into something glossy, tangy and slightly spicy.
- Turn off the heat and swirl in a few knobs of butter until the sauce becomes silky.
- Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon and lots of fresh basil.
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