Chicken Scarpariello
Chicken Scarpariello, also known as shoemaker's chicken (scarpa/e means shoe(s) in Italian), is a classic Italian-American dish with braised chicken, sausage, onions and peppers and vinegar peppers that has all the flavors and textures: tangy and savory, spicy and sweet, tender and crunchy. I like to make it for a Sunday second dish or a weeknight meal. My recipe starts off stove top, and finishes in the oven, using hot and sweet fennel sausage. It packs a nice punch and isn’t for the timid, and it's ultimately very easy to make. This tastes better if prepared a day in advance.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups EVOO
- 1 lb. sausage, a combo of hot and sweet, cut into bite- size pieces
- 2 to 2 1/2 lbs. chicken, cut into 12 small pieces, bone in
- 2 large bell peppers, red, green or yellow, cored, seeded, and cut, lengthwise, into 1/4-inch strips 1 large yellow onion, cut, lengthwise, into 1/4 inch slices 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup halved hot cherry peppers
- 1/2 cup of vinegared sweet peppers
- 1/2 cup of the juice from the vinegared sweet bell peppers Salt and pepper to taste
- I eliminate the oregano in mine because I don't care for it.
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large deep saute pan over medium high heat. Saute sausage for about 8 minutes until lightly browned. Using a slotted spoon, remove them and set aside.
- Reheat oil, pat chicken dry and saute chicken for about 15 minutes until cooked through.
- Stir in bell peppers, onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft and beginning to brown. Add hot vinegar peppers with juice, wine, chicken stock to pepper onion mixture and bring to a boil Lower heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until
- Combine the pepper and onion mixture, including all juices, with the sausage and chicken, and cook at 450°F until chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. This tastes even better if prepared a day ahead. Next day, reheat, covered, until heated through. Uncover and continue simmering until sauce is reduced slightly.
- Note: You can, near the end of cooking, add 2 or 3 sliced boiled potatoes to this dish to absorb the tangy rich flavor of this sauce. Regardless, you'll want to grab a loaf of 2 of Italian bread to do the same
