Chicken Scarpariello is better know as “Chicken Shoemaker’s Style”, which I will explain in a moment.  A friend recently mentioned this recipe to me and ironically I found it on the menu of a local Italian American restaurant the very next day.  Most traditional Italian dishes from the old country do not typically pair chicken and sausage.  So where did this recipe come from I asked myself.  After some reading I found that it originated from Italian men who had left Italy while they sought work in America.  Pooling resources and skills and often living in tenements meant designating a cook and since ingredients were often hard to come by, the men would often improvise in an attempt to approximate Italian seasonings.  I have always felt that recipes rarely spring up overnight – and this is a great example of a recipe that has evolved!  I invite you to try it for yourself, I did and I was pleasently impressed.

Ingredients:

  1. 2-3 Tbs. Olive Oil
  2. 4 Links Italian Sausage
  3. 3lbs. Frying Chicken cut into 8 pieces or 8 chicken thighs (skin on)
  4. 1 Medium yellow onion, finely diced
  5. 4 Cloves garlic
  6. 1/2 tsp. Peperoncini
  7. 1 Cup dry white wine
  8. 2/3 Cup pickling liquid from the cheery peppers
  9. 8 pickled cherry peppers – seeded and coarsely chopped
  10. 2 tbs. Fresh Oregano, finely chopped
  11. 8 tbs. flat leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
  12. Salt & Pepper (best to use fresh ground pepper)
  13. Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, then add just enough olive oil to cover the bottom.  Add the sausages and saute.  Turn regularly until brown, about 8 minutes.  Remove and reserve.  Add the chicken pieces to the saute pan and cook, turning occasionally until the pieces are golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Remove the chicken and cover in foil.

Add the onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes; saute until the onions are wilted.  Raise the heat, add the wine.  Boil for about 2 minutes, stirring to loosen any bits of chicken and sausage that have caramelized in the pan.  Lower the heat to a simmer and add the pickling liquid, cherry peppers, oregano and half of the parsley.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary.  Simmer for 5 mintes.

While the liquid is simmering, cut the sausage into rounds.  Return the sausage and chicken to the pan, and allow to simmer for about 12 minutes.  Grate the lemon rind.  Add the rind and juice to the pan and simmer for 2 more minutes.

To serve:  Remove the chicken and sausage pieces to a platter and cover with the sauce, and garnish with remaining parsley.  You can serve with pasta or simply serve Chicken Scarpariello as the main dish, but be sure to have plenty of good crusty bread on hand!

As for the meaning of “Shoemakers Style”, it is best know as the lowest compliment you can pay a French Chef.   “He cooks like a shoemaker.”  Regardless of the origins of the name of this dish I believe it is a testament to the resourcefulness of immigrant cooks who achieved seductive flavors from few ingredients!