Rao’s Chicken Scarpariello (Shoemaker’s Chicken)

By Jason Epstein

Rao’s Chicken Scarpariello (Shoemaker’s Chicken)
Michael Kraus for The New York Times
Total Time
About 1 hour 15 minutes
Rating
4(1,535)
Comments
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Chicken scarpariello, also known as shoemaker's chicken, is a classic Italian-American dish of chicken, sausage, vinegar, onions and peppers that has all the flavors and textures: Tangy and rich, spicy and sweet, tender and crunchy. Our version is adapted from one found on the menu at Rao's, the reservations-impossible Southern Italian restaurant and celebrity hangout in Harlem. It starts with pan-frying chicken pieces and Italian sausage in a little olive oil until golden brown. Bell peppers, jalapeños, onion and garlic go into the pan and are sautéed until soft. All of that – plus hot peppers, potatoes, vinegar and wine – goes into a roasting pan and into a hot oven until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked through. (The potatoes are totally optional, by the way, but they are a nice, pillowy counterpoint to the prickly heat of the peppers.) Serve with a hunk of good bread to mop up the sauce.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 3pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and breasts, breasts cut crosswise in half
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 links Italian sausage (2 hot and 2 sweet), about 1 pound
  • 2 large bell peppers (red, yellow or green), seeded and cut into thin strips
  • 2 jalapeño peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into thin slices
  • 1 large sweet onion, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 4to 8 hot vinegared cherry peppers (or peppadew or pepperoncini), left whole
  • 2to 3 small red potatoes, peeled, sliced and boiled until tender, but not mushy (optional)
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • ¼ to ½cup red wine vinegar, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

871 calories; 59 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 27 grams monounsaturated fat; 12 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 51 grams protein; 1444 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, brown the chicken, skin side down to start, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the sausage and sauté until brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. (They will not be cooked all the way through at this point.) Remove with a slotted spoon, cut into 1-inch slices and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Remove all but 2 tablespoons oil from the pot and sauté the bell peppers, jalapeños, onion and garlic until soft and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Return the sausage to pot, add the cherry peppers, potatoes (if using), chicken broth, wine, vinegar, oregano and season with salt and pepper. Gently mix together, then transfer everything in the pot to a roasting pan. Nestle the chicken in the vegetables and sausage and roast in the oven until chicken is cooked through and sauce has reduced slightly, about 30 minutes.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,535 user ratings
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Comments

April Foux

Really fantastic recipe! I suggest substituting black pepper for the red and green peppers; also instead of chicken, use sausage, and instead of sausage, use chicken. Finally, try cooking this while Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 is at its apogee; really adds some je-ne-sais-quoi to the flavor.

dimmerswitch

Whaad-are-you-kiddin-me?!? As close as it comes to the best-of-all versions of this dish I have enjoyed at a long time family owned Italian restaurant in my Italian hubby's Brooklyn neighborhood. Just right. (Or "joosta" as my in-laws would say.) My revision here is that you really do not need 1 1/2 C of vegetable oil to brown the chicken. Requires much, much less. Use olive oil.

Erik Zenhausern

To make it even simpler I used a large "Le Creuset" type pot. Cooked everything in the pot according to the recipe. Instead of transferring to a roasting pan, I left it in the pot and used convection roast, which gave it a nice browning. After 15 minutes I flipped the chicken over. I think a touch of rosemary would be a nice addition. One of the best chicken scarpariello recipes I've made.

Liz M

excellent recipe, better than most restaurant versions. we swapped link sausage for loose sausage and made it entirely in a large Dutch oven. the spice, vinegar and savory flavors were exceptionally well-balanced. perfect for times when you want something cozy but more special than usual.

Dana

I transferred everything from a dutch oven to a roasting pan but not sure why. Substituted chicken tenders, sherry vinegar, pickled jalapeños, and quartered red potatoes. It came out fine but could use some tweaking. At least, everyone enjoyed it.

Carol

Made this last night. Left out the jalapeños. No idea why they are in this recipe. The cherry peppers give it more than enough spice It was delicious

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