This is a classic Southern Italian dish. The name means “shoemaker’s chicken”. I’ve read a couple of back stories to the name, but suffice it to say, a lot gets lost in translation. In it’s original concept it is what some refer to as a “peasant dish”, in that the ingredients are fairly simple and straight forward, and the preparation is easy.
I was first introduced to the earliest recipes of this back in the eighties, when I was managing a jazz club in Fort Lauderdale. The husband and wife chef team made their version of this, and it was as popular there as it became at my own Tattoo Turtle Cafe many years later. I have often referred to this recipe as more of a “concept”, in that the main ingredients stay the same – chicken, Italian sausage, peppers, wine, lemon and broth – but the variations on that theme are many.
Every recipe I’ve ever seen for this is made with bone-in, skin-on chicken parts. The original, as taught to me was made with chicken thighs. When I make this for parties or for meal service, I use thighs. At home, my family insists on boneless, skinless breast, and when my sister requested this for her wedding I adapted the “all in one skillet” recipe to a more sophisticated one that made for better presentation on a plate.
Many recipes call for potatoes, and the starch from the potatoes thickens the sauce as it reduces. I have made it with, and without. Mostly now, I leave out the potatoes, but they do add something in counterpoint to the spiciness of the peppers and the sausage. Here I will attempt to give the main version, with some of the variations that can take it in some different directions – spicy, mild, sophisticated, comfort.
Chicken Scarpiello has become somewhat of a signature dish for me.
This version is my own, and became a signature dish, and the most often requested dish in my restaurant. My original used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, and that is still my favorite “comfort” recipe. Some years ago, my sister was getting married in North Carolina – I live in Massachusetts – she insisted she wanted my Chicken Scarpiello for her dinner, but my recipe wasn’t quite what I would consider “wedding fare”. So, I doctored it to be more “sophisticated”. Here I will give it to you both ways.
Many years ago, I was managing a restaurant/jazz club in Fort Lauderdale with a husband and wife chef team who turned me onto the “concept” of Chicken Scarpiello. I call it a concept, rather than a recipe because I have used the core of this recipe to make so many variations over the years.
This recipe can be an elegantly plated meal – make the chicken cutlets, then make a “diced down” version of the rest in a sauté pan and put over top, with the potatoes alongside. Or it can be a chafing dish recipe with the chicken cut up into it. I’ve used boneless breast of chicken and bone-in skin on thighs – my fave is making cutlets out of boneless skinless thighs. I don’t always put the potatoes in, and have served it over risotto or with pasta. It can be spicy…or not.
One thing remains consistent, no matter how I’ve concocted it: it is always a crow pleaser (and when I had my restaurant it was a signature dish and most ordered dish).
Ingredients
- 8 Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 cup Flour
- 1/2 tsp Dried Basil double if using fresh minced
- 1/2 tsp Dried oregano double if using fresh minced
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 4 Spicy Italian sausage links
- 4 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 cups Red bliss potatoes (optional) cut into 1 inch pieces, skin on
- 1 cup Pepperoncini peppers (optional) cut to bite size
- 1/2 cup Sun dried tomatoes, julienned
- 1 Large Vidalia or yellow onion chopped roughly
- 1 tbsp Minced garlic
- 1/2 can Quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- 1 tbsp Capers
- 1 tsp Granulated garlic or garlic powder
- 1 tsp Granulated onion or onion powder
- 2 tbsp Fresh lemon juice can be bottled
- 1/2 cup Dry white wine
- 2/3 cup Chicken broth
- 1/3 cup Fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 Fresh lemon cut in to wheels
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.Mix the flour, oregano and basil together, add salt and pepper to taste, and set aside. Rinse the chicken and pat dry.In a cast iron, or oven proof skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil on medium high, being careful the oil does not get to hot and smoke. Add the chicken and brown on all sides, working in batches if need be. Remove the chicken to plate and drain off all but a tablespoon or two of oil, then brown the sausage – it does not need to be cooked fully, as it will finish in the oven. Remove and cut into one inch pieces.Add onion to skillet and cook til soft, then add in garlic. Cook garlic for one or two minutes, being careful not to burn, then stir in white wine and using a wooden spoon scrape up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Add in Chicken broth, granulated garlic and onion. Stir to incorporate and reduce by half.Add chicken and sausage to the pot, spooning some of the sauce over top, then add in the potatoes, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes.Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.In a small sauce pan mix the remaining flour and herbs with the butter, stirring to constantly to combine. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes over medium low heat to make a roux.Remove from oven and remove chicken to a platter, covering with foil to keep hot. Stir the roux into the skillet, whisking to incorporate, then add the lemon juice and capers. Pour sauce over chicken on platter, garnish with parsley and lemon wheels and serve.