Chicken Scarpariello
This delicious braised chicken dish calls for both sweet and hot pickled peppers. If you are not a fan of spicy food, you can use all sweet peppers to tone it down a bit, or cut back on the crushed red pepper.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 to 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings in bite size pieces
- 1 large onion, sliced lengthwise
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup hot Italian peppers, halved (with 3/4 cup brine reserved separately)
- 1 cup sweet cherry peppers, halved or quartered (drained)
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed between your fingers (or 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves)
- 1 spring fresh rosemary, or two pinches of dried rosemary
- 2 tablespoons chopped flatleaf parsley, for garnish
- Cooked pasta or hot crusty bread, for serving
Directions
Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour to coat.
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed nonreactive Dutch oven over medium high heat. When hot, sear the chicken thighs until golden on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden on all sides. Transfer the sausage to a plate.
Add more oil to the pan if necessary, then add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and crushed red pepper to the pan. Cook, stirring, until softened and lightly golden.
Deglaze the pan with the wine and let it reduce by half, then add the peppers and the reserved brine, chicken stock. lemon juice, oregano, and rosemary. Return the chicken and sausage to the pot, and bring liquid up to a boil. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer, cover the pot, and cook until the chicken is fork-tender and the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, 45 minutes to an hour.
Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Garnish with the parsley and serve over pasta or with hot, crusty bread.
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