Get my Cookbooks! Chicken Scarpariello
This Chicken Scarpariello is an Italian-American classic featuring juicy chicken and savory Italian sausage braised in a flavorful white wine pan sauce with onions, bell peppers, cherry peppers, olives, garlic, and herbs. It’s perfect served with crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce!
Chicken Scarpariello
This Chicken Scarpariello is one of my all-time favorite ways to keep dinner interesting! The combination of juicy chicken and savory sausage along with onions, bell peppers, cherry peppers, and this amazing pan sauce is just so hard to beat. My one rule is to serve this with a side of crusty bread to soak up this amazing sauce! You’ll be in heaven.
Be sure to check out my PRO TIPS below! I can’t wait to hear what you think of this incredible Italian classic!
How to Make It
Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Season and sear the chicken thighs and set aside. Slice the sausage links, sear in the same skillet, and set aside.
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Leave 1 tbsp. drippings in the skillet and soften the onions, followed by the bell peppers. Deglaze with wine and reduce by half. Add garlic, cherry peppers, pickling liquid from the cherry peppers, olives, and flour.
Add the sauce mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken/sausage back. Cover partially and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add lemon juice. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with No Knead Bread for dipping into the sauce!
Pro Tips
- Bone-in/Skin-on Chicken Thighs are best in this recipe. They’re tender, flavorful, and benefit the most from the extended cooking time, as they won’t dry out. I use 5 thighs (just over 3 lbs.), because that’s what I can fit in the skillet.
- Season the chicken generously: Don’t be shy with the salt! Season the chicken generously on all sides, including underneath the skin. This ensures that the meat itself is well-seasoned and flavorful, not just the crispy exterior.
- Sausage: Be sure to purchase raw/uncooked Italian sausage links, not fully cooked sausage. The sausage cooks right in the skillet, which allows it to stay juicy while its flavorful drippings become part of the sauce. Precooked sausage is more likely to dry out and won’t contribute as much flavor.
- Wine: Sauvignon Blanc is the best wine to use in this recipe, followed by Chardonnay, and then Pinot Grigio. Chicken broth can be used if you don’t cook with wine.
- Fresh Garlic Cloves (vs. jarred minced garlic), are best for this recipe if possible.
- Fresh Lemon Juice is much more flavorful than bottled lemon juice as well.
- Be sure to serve this with my easy No Knead Bread to soak up the delicious sauce! Other options include Roasted Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Buttered Noodles, or rice!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Leftovers reheat well!
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links*)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 3.6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Braiser– I use this to make this recipe, it gets a nice sear on the chicken and conducts the heat well to cook the pasta.
- Large Measuring Cup with a Spout– This is what I use to combine the sauce ingredients together for this recipe.
- Silicone Spatulas– I have these, they’re gentle on your cookware and are perfect for stirring throughout this recipe.
- Garlic Peeler & Garlic Twister– Makes it really easy to peel fresh garlic.
- Lemon Squeezer– Use fresh lemon juice over bottled if possible.
- Kitchen Tongs– Makes it easy to handle the chicken when searing and the pasta while it’s cooking.
- Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
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- Chicken and Mushroom Soup
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Chicken Scarpariello
This Chicken Scarpariello features juicy chicken and savory Italian sausage braised in a flavorful white wine pan sauce with onions, bell peppers, cherry peppers, olives, garlic, and herbs.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon EACH: dried thyme, rosemary, basil, red pepper flakes
Meat/Veggies
- 5-6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 3 lbs.
- Salt/pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 oz. hot or sweet Italian sausage links, cut into 2-inch slices
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 2 large bell peppers, sliced into ¼-inch strips. I use red and green
- ¾ cup dry white wine, see notes
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 8-10 whole hot pickled cherry peppers, plus 2 tbsp. pickling juices
- ¼ cup kalamata olives
- 1 ½ tablespoons flour
For Finishing
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a large measuring cup with a spout and set aside. Measure out remaining ingredients before beginning. (This is key.)
- Pat the chicken completely dry. Season each side with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Heat olive oil in a large, high-walled skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken skin-side-down for 6 to 7 minutes, until brown and crispy. Flip and sear the bottom and sides for 3 to 4 more minutes. The middle of the chicken will finish cooking in the sauce. Remove and set aside.
- Leave the drippings in the skillet and add the sausage. Sear on all sides over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove and set aside.
- Leave 1 tbsp drippings in the skillet and remove the rest. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bell peppers and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the wine and use a silicone spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the skillet. Let it reduce by half, about 3–4 minutes.
- Add the garlic, cherry peppers, and olives and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add 2 tablespoons of pickling liquid from the cherry peppers. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the combined sauce mixture (from step 1) in small splashes, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Add the chicken back, skin-side up, followed by the sausage. Nestle the sausage into the sauce where possible.
- Cover partially and simmer very gently for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The sauce should bubble gently periodically, but don’t let it boil.
- If desired, skim excess fat from the surface of the sauce before serving. Add the lemon juice and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with warm crusty bread, mashed potatoes, or rice!
Notes
Pro Tips:
Storage:
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.
- Bone-in/Skin-on Chicken Thighs are best in this recipe. They're tender, flavorful, and benefit the most from the extended cooking time, as they won't dry out. I use 5 thighs (just over 3 lbs.), because that's what I can fit in the skillet.
- Season the chicken generously: Don’t be shy with the salt! Season the chicken generously on all sides, including underneath the skin. This ensures that the meat itself is well-seasoned and flavorful, not just the crispy exterior.
- Sausage: Be sure to purchase raw/uncooked Italian sausage links, not fully cooked sausage. The sausage cooks right in the skillet, which allows it to stay juicy while its flavorful drippings become part of the sauce. Precooked sausage is more likely to dry out and won’t contribute as much flavor.
- Wine: Sauvignon Blanc is the best wine to use in this recipe, followed by Chardonnay, and then Pinot Grigio. Chicken broth can be used if you don’t cook with wine.
- Fresh Garlic Cloves (vs. jarred minced garlic), are best for this recipe if possible.
- Fresh Lemon Juice is much more flavorful than bottled lemon juice as well.
- Be sure to serve this with my easy No Knead Bread to soak up the delicious sauce! Other options include Roasted Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Buttered Noodles, or rice!
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Leftovers reheat well!
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 879kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 51g, Fat: 66g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g, Monounsaturated Fat: 29g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 289mg, Sodium: 1664mg, Potassium: 849mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 367IU, Vitamin C: 37mg, Calcium: 68mg, Iron: 3mg
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Hi, I love all your recipes, especially the Italian ones! Been using them forever. My big hang up with this one is the chicken thighs. My kids, and myself, honestly, don’t enjoy picking the chicken off the bones. It’s kinda gross, but it’s not a knock on you or your recipe. Just personal preference. I knew it going into it, and we pushed through. Flavors were great. I was tempted to put in some tomato paste but resisted the urge!
Hi Joel! I’m so glad to hear that you’ve been enjoying my recipes for so long! I wish I had heard from you on some of the other ones you’ve loved too—I always appreciate hearing when a recipe is a hit! 😊
I completely understand that bone-in chicken isn’t everyone’s preference. I did use it intentionally here, as Chicken Scarpariello is traditionally prepared with bone-in chicken, and I wanted to stay true to the classic preparation. So while I certainly understand the personal preference, I hope you won’t hold the traditional preparation against the recipe! 😉
That said, you can absolutely adapt it with boneless chicken breasts or thighs. They’ll cook much faster, so I would add them back to the sauce later to avoid overcooking. I’m glad you enjoyed the flavors, and I’m happy to finally hear from you after all the recipes you’ve made! ❤️
Some dishes benefit immensely from the flavor that bone-in thighs add, especially a dish like this that’s meant to cook low and slow as the sauce is infused with flavor. That’s exactly what sets this apart from the thousands of boneless skinless chicken recipes out there. My Italian grandmother would give this recipe a huge round of applause. It mirrors the methods she used and brought me right back to my childhood. Thank you for doing this classic recipe justice Stephanie!
I’m soo happy to hear that Sofia, what a huge compliment, thank you!!