Chicken Scarpariello, An Italian American Classic
Chicken Scarpariello is an Italian American classic, a perfect blend of old world and new world flavors that really hits the spot. Tangy, spicy and savory, there’s nothing not to love when it’s made right. By made right, I not only mean that the flavors have to be balanced, but also in my opinion, it has to be made with chicken on the bone. This is a dish that needs to withstand some slow cooking, so the last thing you want is dried out chicken. There are many different iterations of Chicken Scarpariello, and sometimes when I order it, I’m ultimately disappointed. I decided to make my own last Sunday so it would taste exactly how I wanted it to! Here’s my recipe:
Ingredients:
3 chicken legs, thighs and drumsticks separated
1 pound Sweet Italian Sausage
3-5 Hot Cherry Peppers (depending on heat level you want)
1 1/2 Cups micro or fingerling potatoes
3 cloves fresh cracked garlic
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried, high quality oregano, plus extra for garnish
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup white wine
2 Tbs vinegar pepper liquid
1 Tbs butter
1 tsp corn starch (optional)
Rosemary, Oregano, Cracked Garlic Cloves, Hot Cherry Peppers and their juice (they come in a big old jar) and finally micro potatoes-not always easy to find, but they are my go-to in many recipes.
To Do:
First, I like to make sure my chicken is nice and dry so it will brown well. A few hours before cooking I like to unpack my chicken, wipe off any moisture with a paper towel and then keep it on a drying rack in the refrigerator, this keeps the chicken nice and dry. Heat a dutch oven on medium heat with a little bit of oil, and once hot, liberally salt the chicken and making sure not to overcrowd, brown the skin on the chicken for about 4 minutes. Salt the meat side, turn over and cook for a couple minutes and then transfer to a plate. Work in two batches if there’s not enough room to do this at once. While the chicken is cooking, cut the sausage into 1-1 1/2” pieces and when the chicken is removed, brown the sausage on all sides. Remove sausage and add to the chicken plate.
Add the garlic, herbs and potatoes to the pot, mix it around and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and remove any brown flavor bits from the bottom and sides of the pot with your wooden spoon. Start loading the chicken and sausage back into the pot, add the peppers and their juice, a teaspoon of salt and the stock. Put the lid on the dutch oven and let cook in a 350 degree preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Once the meat, potatoes and cherry peppers are all together in the pot, add the liquid and braise in the oven for 45 minutes.
When ready, take it out of the oven, remove the meat, potatoes and peppers and cook the liquid over a high flame. I mashed the remaining garlic with my wooden spoon so it disintegrated into the liquid, but if you prefer to, remove it. If the sauce seems very thin, add a teaspoon of warm water to a teaspoon of corn starch and make a slurry, add it to the liquid. Let this cook on high for 5 more minutes, and add the butter. Mix it around and taste it once the butter has completely melted into the sauce. If it seems too acidic, add just a dash of sweet like honey or sugar.
Once the sauce is thickened and tastes well balanced, arrange the meat, potatoes and peppers around on a serving dish, add in the sauce and top with more oregano. Serve-you and your guest will love this! Serves 3-4.
Chicken Scarpariello! The perfect Sunday dinner!
This dish is naturally gluten free, but if you would like to also make it dairy free (I did), just use a dairy free buttery spread like Earth Balance and you have a completely Gluten and Dairy free meal.