Chicken Scarpariello is the Italian-American dish you’ve probably never heard of but definitely should be making! Crispy skinned chicken thighs are cooked low and slow with Italian sausage, peppers, onions, and garlic in a spicy and zippy broth made with white wine, pickled pepper juice, and chicken stock. It’s hearty and delicious and comes together in one pan!
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What is Chicken Scarpariello?
In Italian, “Scarpariello” means “shoemaker style” and it refers to the way that cobblers’ wives would make lunches for their husbands with the leftovers from Sunday dinner and any other ingredients they had on hand. Like most dishes of the working poor, it cobbled together odds and ends and that honestly makes it even more delicious!
Chicken scarpariello is typically made with bone-in chicken, chopped up sausage, peppers, onions and garlic in a broth made with vinegar, wine, and chicken stock. The end result is delicious and tangy! In my version, I like to use hot pickled peppers (or sweet if you’re averse to spice!) and the brine from the peppers in place of the vinegar. I also include some cherry tomatoes and tomato paste in the braise for extra body and sweetness!
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Key Recipe Ingredients
full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Chicken thighs. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs have tons of flavor and stay juicy and tender while braising.
- Italian sausage. I like hot Italian sausage, but to cut down on spice you can use mild or sweet sausage.
- Peppers & onion. Red or orange bell pepper is best! I like using yellow onion, but just about any onion can be used here.
- Fresh garlic. Lots of sliced garlic adds tons of flavor to the chicken scarpariello. Skin the pre-minced jarred stuff!
- Cherry tomatoes & tomato paste. It’s not strictly traditional to use tomato products, but I like the sweetness and body that it adds to the sauce.
- Pickled cherry peppers. This is what makes this recipe! I like to make mine spicy by using hot pickled cherry peppers, but you could also use sweet cherry peppers. In a pinch, you could also use sliced pepperoncini peppers.
- White wine. I like to opt for a dry white wine here to keep the flavors bright. The alcohol mostly cooks out but if you’re concerned, you can omit the wine and add extra chicken stock.
- Chicken stock. Homemade is always best, but if using store bought I recommend using chicken bone broth.
The 5 Easy Steps to Make Chicken Scarpariello
- Sear the chicken. I always talk about building flavor in recipes layer by layer and searing the chicken off is the first step! The browned skin adds lots of flavor and renders off some of the fat.
- Brown the sausage. This is the second layer of flavor we’re adding to our chicken scarpariello! You’ll notice from the images that the sausage isn’t perfectly sliced–that’s a good thing! We want the craggy bits of the sausage to get browned and crispy. And that brown fond in the pan? That will add even more flavor to our braising sauce.
- Saute the peppers and onions. Because all the veggies are water-heavy, as they cook, they’ll help you work up the browned bits from the pan. We also want the tomatoes to burst a bit and release their juices, so covering the pan to start with help speed up that process.
- Build the braising sauce. After you’ve got your peppers and onions softened, add in the white wine and pepper juice from the jar of pickled peppers. You’ll bring it to a simmer and reduce by 1/3 before adding the chicken stock and cherry peppers to the pan. Then, nestle the chicken back into the pan with the browned sausage and season everything up with some salt and pepper.
- Braise the chicken. While normally cooking chicken to 165°F is fine, chicken thighs and legs benefit from cooking the meat a bit longer to really make it extra tender. Plan for the internal temperature of the meat to be about 185°F. We do a mix of covered and uncovered cooking here. Covered to bring the chicken most of the way, then we remove the lid so the skin can crisp back up.
What to Serve on the Side
This chicken scarpariello makes the most incredible pan sauce! I love serving it up over mashed potatoes or over some tomato orzo or just with some crusty bread on the side for dipping.
If I’m in the mood for a salad, my little gem caesar, Italian chopped salad, or fattoush salad all pair so well with the chicken!
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Italian-American Recipes to Try
Classic Spaghetti & Meatballs
Chicken Piccata
Skillet Lasagna
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Pasta alla Vodka
Chicken Parmesan
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Chicken Scarpariello (Braised Chicken & Sausage with Peppers)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 lb italian sausage, hot or mild
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced
- 1 orange or red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 16 oz jar sliced pickled cherry peppers, hot or sweet
- 1/2 cup cherry pepper juice (from the jar of peppers)
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
- 1 lemon, cut in half
- 2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
- Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep the chicken. Pat the chicken very dry, trim off any excess fat/skin, and then season all over with salt and pepper. Transfer to the fridge uncovered for 4-8 hours.
- Preheat an oven to 350 F.
- Cut up the sausage. Use a sharp knife to cut the italian sausage into oblong chunks. You don't need them to be perfect slices because we want them to be browned and craggy.
- Sear the chicken. Heat the oil in a braiser or large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the chicken in the skillet skin-side down. Reduce the heat to medium-low and brown the chicken for 7-8 minutes, until the skin is very golden brown. Flip the chicken and cook for 2 minutes, then transfer to a plate.
- Brown the sausage. Add the italian sausage to the skillet and really give it a chance to brown all over. Only toss it once one side is deeply browned. After the sausage is browned all over, use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a bowl. Wipe out all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.
- Saute the peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Add the butter to the skillet and increase the heat to medium. Add the onions, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes to the skillet and toss to coat in the fat. Season with salt and pepper and cover the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, continue to cook until the tomatoes have burst and reduced slightly. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Build the sauce. Add the sliced garlic, tomato paste, and minced oregano leaves to the skillet and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and cherry pepper juice and bring to a simmer. Reduce by one third, then stir in the chicken stock and sliced cherry peppers and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Braise. Nestle the chicken, skin-side up, into the sauce along with the sausage. Cover and transfer to the oven. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue cooking for another 35 minutes. Check the internal temperature to ensure that it’s reached at least 185-190 °F. Remove from the oven and squeeze the lemon over the top of the chicken. Top with minced parsley and more minced oregano and serve right away.
Nutrition
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What size jar of peppers???
16 oz jar of sliced hot cherry peppers. You can find the link to the jar of peppers that I used in the ingredients list.