Chicken Scarpariello is a classic Italian-American dish featuring chicken thighs and sweet Italian sausage in a vinegary, sweet-sour pan sauce.  In Italian “scarpariello” means shoemaker or shoe fixer. So, basically, chicken shoemaker-style. Kind of branded in the same way puttanesca was as “lady of the night” (roughly translated) but without the same cachet! Anyway, I made this dish last evening because everything I had read about it piqued my interest. Plus, I had never seen this dish listed on a menu. (At least to my best recollection, which isn’t saying much the older I get!). The description simply fascinated me. It screamed interesting and different. And I must say, my glommed together recipe was just that. Interesting and different. Oh, and also quite flavorful.

It took my taste buds a few bites before they fully accepted the new flavors. They had tasted a light vinegary broth before, but never quite like this. And especially in an Italian dish. But after a few more bites, they seemed to settle down and welcome the new flavors. As did Mr. C’s taste buds. His even more than mine!

So, I really debated whether I should post this recipe. (This dish being quite different after all!) But, after much deliberation and remembering that Mr. C. had seconds and was looking forward to leftovers, I decided in favor of sharing this recipe with you. But with full disclosure. This is probably not a dish your whole family would enjoy. Especially not young children. Mac and cheese, it is not. Spaghetti and meatballs, again no relationship. But, for anyone with a quest for new and different ways to use chicken or Italian sausage, and a sense of culinary adventure, please be my guest.

Would I make it again? Absolutely. Would it be something I could eat once a week? Nope! Is it a fast and easy dish to prepare? Not really. Would I serve it to guests? Yes, but I would have to know their tastes before making such a decision. (Kind of like serving oysters, lamb, or liver and onions. You must know your guests tastes pretty darn well before springing any of the above on them!)

Now, I hope I haven’t scared anyone away from trying this dish. I generally love surprises myself. But not at the expense of my pocketbook or use of my time. This is not a terribly expensive dish to prepare. But it ain’t cheap either. And it does take some time to prepare. But I truly would not have posted this recipe if I didn’t think it was worthy of both your time and your money. But it is different. So be prepared.

As always, keep thinking of cooking as an adventure. Because that’s exactly what it is. Sometimes you discover a new flavor sensation. Good or bad. Sometimes you unearth a fact like the genetic reason cilantro tastes like soap. (I’m in that group.) But most of the time you are simply keeping yourself and your family healthy by providing nourishing, delicious, and hopefully interesting meals. Bravo to you. And keep up the good work.

Peace and love to all.  

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1-1½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces 

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage (I use sweet Italian sausage, but hot would work too)

1 sweet onion, halved then thinly sliced

2 bell peppers, sliced – your choice of color (I used 1 green, 1 red)

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

4 sweet cherry peppers*, sliced, plus 1 tablespoon brine (see picture below)

½ c. dry white wine

2 8-inch sprigs fresh rosemary, broken into 2-inch pieces  

1½ c. chicken broth

2 T. fresh lemon juice 

2 T. unsalted butter

Add olive oil to a very large sauté pan over medium high heat. Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, fry the chicken until browned on the outside and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a bowl.

Add the sausage to pan and brown. Don’t break the sausage up too much. You want nice big bite sized pieces of sausage in the final product. When cooked through, remove to bowl with the cooked chicken.

Add the chopped onion and bell peppers to the pan. Sauté over medium-low heat until the onion is just softened. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, sweet cherry peppers, brine, and rosemary. Cook for about 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the white wine and cook until every bit of the liquid has evaporated.

Add the chicken broth to the skillet and cook over high heat, scraping up any browned bits, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and butter and stir until well combined.

Return the cooked sausage and chicken to the pan, cook for 2-3 more minutes or until the meat is hot.   

Serve in shallow soup bowls with toasted baguette slices or Garlic Toast (recipe on site of course) to sop up the lovely juices.

Please note: Many of the recipes I perused contained potato. One recipe suggested oven roasted potatoes on the side. So that’s what I served with the dish last evening along with steamed green beans. See recipe below for Oven Roasted Potatoes.

*I used Mezzetta Sweet Cherry Peppers. I can actually find them at my local IGA! 

 

OVEN ROASTED POTATOES

2-3 med. sized Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ⅓-inch thick rounds

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss potatoes with the olive oil. Then arrange in a single layer. Sprinkle the top side only with seasoned salt and plenty of black pepper.

Bake in a pre-heated 450-degree oven until tender and both sides are lightly browned, 20–30 minutes. Turn once during the baking time.