Chicken Scarpariello

Probably one of my favorite dishes of all time. And not until recently did I really start to understand that this is hyperlocal to the Tri-State area red sauce Italian restaurants. I was talking to a good friend of mine who owns multiple Italian restaurants in Chicago. This guy was born in Italy, loves red sauce, loves everything Italian food here in the States, but when we were talking about scarpariello, he had never heard of it. And it kind of blew my mind. So I’m very excited and honored to spread the word of possibly the best chicken dish of all time, and it works great with pork also. The sauce has got a few different types of acid: the pickling liquid of the cherry peppers, the white wine, the lemon juice. Deglazing that pan and finishing with lots of butter and fresh parsley—oh my God.

4 to 6 Servings

Ingredients:

Parm to Table: Italian American and American Italian Recipes from Ponza to the Bronx Christian Petroni

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and 4 chicken drumsticks (or equivalent chicken parts)

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed

• About 1 pound Italian sausages (sweet or spicy), cut into chunks

• 2 large shallots, minced

• 1 (8-ounce) jar pickled sweet or hot cherry peppers with the vinegar

• 6 garlic cloves, crushed

• 2 cups dry white wine

• 1 quart chicken broth

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus additional lemon halves

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

• Crusty bread, roasted potatoes, or pasta, for serving

Directions:

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper on both sides.

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and brown them, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, brown the sausage pieces. Remove and set them aside with the chicken.

Reduce the heat to medium, adding more olive oil if needed. Add the shallots and pickled peppers (reserve the vinegar). Saute until the shallots are translucent and the peppers are softened. Add the garlic and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes.

Pour in the white wine and reserved vinegar to deglaze the pan, scraping up the flavorful bits from the bottom. Let it simmer and reduce by half.

Return the chicken and sausage to the skillet. Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes, if using. Let everything simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, 20 to 25 minutes.

Mount with butter by whisking it into the sauce, then add the parsley and a fresh squeeze of lemon.

Serve Chicken Scarpariello with crusty bread, roasted potatoes, or over cooked pasta to sop up the delicious sauce. Enjoy!

Excerpted from the book PARM TO TABLE: Italian American and American Italian Recipes from Ponza to the Bronx by Christian Petroni. Copyright © 2025 by Christian Petroni. Photography © 2025 by Tom McGovern. From Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.

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