Chicken Scarpariello is the classic Italian-American "shoemaker style" dish of crispy skin chicken braised with sausage, peppers, and onions. It is tangy and spicy, and very comforting. This is how I like to make mine, just a bit extra spicy.
Braised Chicken with Sausage and Peppers - Chicken Scarpariello
For my spicy food lovers who love Italian cuisine, Chicken Scarpariello is a dish you must have on hand.
What You'll Love About This Recipe
- My version offers Bold and Tangy flavors with crispy chicken thighs and spicy Italian sausage with pickled peppers that delivers a punch of heat and tanginess in every bite.
- It's a one-pan wonder! You can make this dish entirely in a single skillet, making cleanup quick and easy.
- I'll show you how you can easily adjust the spiciness to your preference by choosing between hot or sweet Italian sausage and varying the amount of pickled cherry peppers.
The resulting flavors are a mix of tangy, spicy, and a touch of sweet and sour, with tender chicken that just falls off the bone. This truly is a comforting dish, one I think you're going to love.
Let's talk about how to make chicken scarpariello, shall we?
Featured Reader Comment
From Jérémie: "Tangy pickled peppers are key to this recipe, they make this dish soar to the stars. The balance of flavors is a success! Thanks a lot, Sir!"
Chicken Scarpariello Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs. Skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs. Chicken thighs sear up perfectly and remain moist through the entire cooking process.
- Salt and Black Pepper. To taste.
- Vegetable Oil. For cooking.
- Italian Sausage. Using hot Italian sausage brings the spice factor we love, though you can use sweet Italian sausage, or a mix.
- Vegetables. Onion, red bell pepper, garlic.
- Pickled Cherry Peppers. I prefer hot cherry peppers, though you can use sweet for a milder version. I always add in extra for my own tastes. Also use some of the pickled pepper juice for the tangy-sour quality. Good substitutes are pepperoncinis or peppadews.
- Dry White Wine. Or white wine vinegar.
- Chicken Stock. Low-sodium is best to control the overall flavor.
- For Serving. Fresh chopped parsley, red chili flakes.
How to Make Chicken Scarpariello - the Recipe Method
Brown the Chicken. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the olive oil in an oven safe skillet or Dutch oven to medium heat. Pat the chicken dry and season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
Sear the chicken, skin sides down, for 5 minutes or until the skins turn golden brown and crisp up. Flip the chicken and cook another 3-4 minutes.
Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Brown the Sausages. Reheat the skillet and add the sausages. Cook 3-4 minutes per side to brown.
Remove the sausages and slice each into 4 pieces. Set aside.
Onions, Peppers, Garlic. Reheat the skillet and add the onion and bell pepper strips. Cook 2 minutes to soften slightly.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until the fragrance blooms.
Cherry Peppers and Wine. Add the cherry peppers with the pickling liquid and add the wine. Stir up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan (may need a bit of scraping), then cook another 2-3 minutes to reduce the liquid by half.
Chicken Stock. Pour in the chicken stock, then add the chicken (skin side up) and sausage back to the skillet. Arrange the chicken so that the skins remain above the liquid.
Bake the Chicken. Set the skillet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens.
NOTE: Chicken should register 165 degrees F internally when measured with an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the flesh.
Garnish and Serve. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, red chili flakes, and serve.
Boom! Done! Your chicken scarpariello is ready to serve. Easy enough to make, isn't it? I am so ready to dig into this dish! Extra sausage for me, please.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Crisping the chicken skin first adds loads of flavor, and braising the chicken with skin above the liquid ensures it will remain crispy when serving.
- You can use other cuts of chicken for this recipe, including chicken breast, chicken legs, or a cut up whole chicken.
- Using the vinegary pickling liquid from the pickled peppers gives a special flavor boost over using regular vinegar, plus you don't have to throw it away.
- If your pan sauce is too thin, heat the whole skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until it is reduced to your liking, 2-3 minutes.
- Roasted potatoes are a wonderful addition to this recipe, and quite traditional. Add them to the skillet the last 10 minutes of braising.
- Lemon juice is also a nice touch squeezed over your chicken for a fresh pop of citrus.
Serving Chicken Scarpariello
I recommend serving Chicken Scarpiariello with crusty Italian bread for soaking up the flavorful sauce. Serve it over a bed of freshly made pasta to round out the dish.
It always pairs wonderfully with potatoes. You can either cook them in the sauce while the chicken is cooking, or serve roasted potatoes on the side. Consider mashed potatoes.
Don't forget a nice glass of Italian wine!
Storage & Leftovers
Chicken scarpariello will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can easily reheat it gently in a covered pan over medium-low heat.
To freeze, cool the chicken, then transfer to airtight containers, seal, and freeze. It will last 3-4 months this way.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this chicken scarpariello recipe. It's so good! We seriously love it for the spicy, tangy combo, especially with a bit of extra spice factor.
Get more Italian Recipes.
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy Italian cuisine, I recommend the following cookbook, which I used to adapt this recipe. It has a lot of great recipes.
Lidia's Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Great Italian Cook, by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich (affiliate link, my friends!)
Tools Used For This Recipe
Amazon Affiliate links, my friends!
- Lodge Cast Iron Pan - I always get a great sear on my chicken with nicely crispy skin, and it's oven safe for baking and braising.
- Pickled Cherry Peppers - these are great in many recipes.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Chicken Scarpariello Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (4 to 5 large chicken thighs)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3-4 links hot Italian sausage about 1 pound - use mild Italian sausage for less spicy
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 1 large red bell pepper sliced
- 8 cloves garlic chopped
- 10 pickled cherry peppers hot or sweet + 1/4 cup pickling juice from the jar
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock low-sodium
- For Serving. Fresh chopped parsley, red chili flakes.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat the oil in an oven safe skillet or Dutch oven to medium heat. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sear the chicken, skin sides down, for 5 minutes or until the skins brown and crisp up. Flip the chicken and cook another 3-4 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Reheat the skillet and add the sausages. Cook 3-4 minutes per side to brown. Remove the sausages and slice each into 4 pieces. Set aside.
- Reheat the skillet and add the onion and bell pepper strips. Cook 2 minutes to soften slightly.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until the fragrance blooms.
- Add the cherry peppers with the pickling liquid and the white wine. Stir up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan (may need a bit of scraping), then cook another 2-3 minutes to reduce the liquid by half.
- Pour in the chicken stock, then add the sausage and chicken (skin side up) back to the skillet. Arrange the chicken so that the skins remain above the liquid.
- Set the skillet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, red chili flakes, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 2/13/25 to include updated information. It was originally published on 6/22/22.
Mrs Carolyn Balaam says
Hi,
I'm assuming this can be frozen ok? I tend to batch cook and freeze some for another occasion.
I just used different color bell peppers as we don't do spicy and it was still brilliant. Nice with rice also.
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Mrs. Balaam. Yes, you can freeze it for 3 months or so in proper freezer containers. I appreciate it.
Simon says
Do you cover the skillet when you place it into the oven?
Mike Hultquist says
I do not, Simon, though you can for a looser dish. Enjoy.
Web says
Mike, my wife doesn’t like chicken thighs (I know, she ain’t right). Can this be made with bone in breasts? If so, what adjustments do I need to make?
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Web. Yes, you can make this with chicken breasts. The only adjustment you might need to make is baking a little bit longer, until the chicken cooks through to 165 degrees F (74 C) internally. Otherwise, should be GREAT! Let me know how you both enjoy it!