Legend has it that this dish originated in Neapolitan Sicily and the Calabria region but was more of a quick pasta like dish utilizing a variety of what was on hand in some sort of tomato sauce. Others say it involved browning and braising chicken with the addition of a variety of ingredients like garlic, peppers, onions etc.
Regardless of its Italian origins, its Italian-American roots seem to all point to that famous Manhattan eatery known as Rao’s Restaurant where it was made famous. Apparently still one of the hardest places to get into in New York City, it’s been frequented by such characters as John Gotti, Anthony Scaramucci, Rudy Giuliani, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and a host of infamous, rather questionable others.
As to the dish itself, Chicken Scarp translates as "shoemaker’s" style chicken. It is thought that this dish was named Scarpariello since the chicken bones protrude from your mouth as you eat them much like a shoemaker might hold tacks in his mouth as he works. Another southern Italian origin to the name comes about from the fact that even the family of a poor shoemaker in southern Italy could afford to make this dish, while yet another version explains that all of the ingredients in this dish can be easily "cobbled" together.
Like a lot of Italian-American dishes its morphed into a variety of differing preparations and ingredients. One variation doesn’t involve peppers at all but rather a lemon based tangy sauce version. The version below, however, is fairly true to what I believe Rao’s serves in their restaurant, a vinegar and wine-based variant. It can be made with hot sausages and hot cherry peppers, with milder versions of each or a combination of hot and mild.
Whatever the source of its name might be and however you choose to make it, this dish is yet another example of a delicious Italian classic. So diamoci da fare (let’s get busy) and make some Chicken Scarp!!
Chicken Scarpariello
Course. Lunch or Dinner.
Cuisine. Italian-American
Makes. 4 to 5 servings
Takes. 40 minutes prep, 90 minutes cooking time
Ingredients
2 – pounds bone-in chicken thighs
1 – pound Italian sausage (hot or mild)
1 – large size red bell pepper
1 – medium onion sliced
6-8 – whole garlic cloves halved
4-5 – hot pickled cherry peppers (Mezzetta or Cento brands) halved
5-6 – small stewing potatoes like Yukon Golds halved
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine like pinot grigio
1-1/2 cups chicken stock low sodium
1/4 cup chopped parsley for garnish
3/4 cup olive oil divided
1/2 teaspoon of oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Begin by prepping all your vegetables. Cut your bell pepper into long match sticks, your cherry peppers in half and your onion into slices. You’ll cook each down in the braise so keep them fairly chunky. The dish also calls for lots of garlic so again either leave the cloves whole or cut them in half. They will sweeten up in the sauce.
Take your small potato halves and give them a good dousing of olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake them in a 400* oven until golden brown with a crisp outer skin, 15-20 minutes. Remove when done and set aside.
In a cast iron pan next start browning your sausages. Start with a little olive oil and pierce each sausage to allow the fat to escape to facilitate further browning. Do not overcook the sausages as they will finish in the braise. When done allow them to cool then cut into one or two-inch pieces and set aside.
In the left-over oil and fat, begin browning the chicken thighs. Start by placing the skin sides down. Leave each piece for about 5-6 minutes without touching to achieve golden browning on each side. When finished place on a wire rack or somewhere they can drain.
Next add the bell pepper and onion to the pan and begin to sweat and soften. Add a little more oil if necessary. Also add a pinch of salt and pepper to this layer. After about 4-5 minutes add in the garlic cloves and cherry peppers. Continue to sauté for another 3-4 minutes until everything is softened.
De-glaze the pan with the red wine vinegar and the white wine. Scrap up any little bits of fond in the bottom of the pan, that’s all flavor for the sauce. Bring to a boil then add the chicken stock. Return to a boil seasoning with salt, pepper and oregano to taste.
Preheat your oven to 400*F. Nestle the chicken, sausages and small potatoes into the pepper sauce. The chicken should not be fully submerged to allow the skin side to further re-crisp up while braising. Place the pan into the oven and allow to braise for at least 30-45 minutes.
After the dish is fully cooked its ready to serve. Although I prefer a thin soup like sauce, you may opt to want it a bit thicker. If so remove the chicken and sausages, bring the sauce to a boil and add a couple of tablespoons of a corn starch slurry mixing continuously until it reaches the desired thickness. Return the chicken and sausages to your sauce, combine one final time and serve. Garnish with some chopped parsley for a pop of color and a finishing touch.
Give this spicy and vinegary recipe a try, it’s definitely a unique chicken dish with the flavors of the Old World. It’s the next best thing to having a booth at Rao’s, after all its Bobby De Niro approved!! Mangia !! Trout signing out !!
Regardless of its Italian origins, its Italian-American roots seem to all point to that famous Manhattan eatery known as Rao’s Restaurant where it was made famous. Apparently still one of the hardest places to get into in New York City, it’s been frequented by such characters as John Gotti, Anthony Scaramucci, Rudy Giuliani, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and a host of infamous, rather questionable others.
As to the dish itself, Chicken Scarp translates as "shoemaker’s" style chicken. It is thought that this dish was named Scarpariello since the chicken bones protrude from your mouth as you eat them much like a shoemaker might hold tacks in his mouth as he works. Another southern Italian origin to the name comes about from the fact that even the family of a poor shoemaker in southern Italy could afford to make this dish, while yet another version explains that all of the ingredients in this dish can be easily "cobbled" together.
Like a lot of Italian-American dishes its morphed into a variety of differing preparations and ingredients. One variation doesn’t involve peppers at all but rather a lemon based tangy sauce version. The version below, however, is fairly true to what I believe Rao’s serves in their restaurant, a vinegar and wine-based variant. It can be made with hot sausages and hot cherry peppers, with milder versions of each or a combination of hot and mild.
Whatever the source of its name might be and however you choose to make it, this dish is yet another example of a delicious Italian classic. So diamoci da fare (let’s get busy) and make some Chicken Scarp!!
Chicken Scarpariello
Course. Lunch or Dinner.
Cuisine. Italian-American
Makes. 4 to 5 servings
Takes. 40 minutes prep, 90 minutes cooking time
Ingredients
2 – pounds bone-in chicken thighs
1 – pound Italian sausage (hot or mild)
1 – large size red bell pepper
1 – medium onion sliced
6-8 – whole garlic cloves halved
4-5 – hot pickled cherry peppers (Mezzetta or Cento brands) halved
5-6 – small stewing potatoes like Yukon Golds halved
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine like pinot grigio
1-1/2 cups chicken stock low sodium
1/4 cup chopped parsley for garnish
3/4 cup olive oil divided
1/2 teaspoon of oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Begin by prepping all your vegetables. Cut your bell pepper into long match sticks, your cherry peppers in half and your onion into slices. You’ll cook each down in the braise so keep them fairly chunky. The dish also calls for lots of garlic so again either leave the cloves whole or cut them in half. They will sweeten up in the sauce.
Take your small potato halves and give them a good dousing of olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake them in a 400* oven until golden brown with a crisp outer skin, 15-20 minutes. Remove when done and set aside.
In a cast iron pan next start browning your sausages. Start with a little olive oil and pierce each sausage to allow the fat to escape to facilitate further browning. Do not overcook the sausages as they will finish in the braise. When done allow them to cool then cut into one or two-inch pieces and set aside.
In the left-over oil and fat, begin browning the chicken thighs. Start by placing the skin sides down. Leave each piece for about 5-6 minutes without touching to achieve golden browning on each side. When finished place on a wire rack or somewhere they can drain.
Next add the bell pepper and onion to the pan and begin to sweat and soften. Add a little more oil if necessary. Also add a pinch of salt and pepper to this layer. After about 4-5 minutes add in the garlic cloves and cherry peppers. Continue to sauté for another 3-4 minutes until everything is softened.
De-glaze the pan with the red wine vinegar and the white wine. Scrap up any little bits of fond in the bottom of the pan, that’s all flavor for the sauce. Bring to a boil then add the chicken stock. Return to a boil seasoning with salt, pepper and oregano to taste.
Preheat your oven to 400*F. Nestle the chicken, sausages and small potatoes into the pepper sauce. The chicken should not be fully submerged to allow the skin side to further re-crisp up while braising. Place the pan into the oven and allow to braise for at least 30-45 minutes.
After the dish is fully cooked its ready to serve. Although I prefer a thin soup like sauce, you may opt to want it a bit thicker. If so remove the chicken and sausages, bring the sauce to a boil and add a couple of tablespoons of a corn starch slurry mixing continuously until it reaches the desired thickness. Return the chicken and sausages to your sauce, combine one final time and serve. Garnish with some chopped parsley for a pop of color and a finishing touch.
Give this spicy and vinegary recipe a try, it’s definitely a unique chicken dish with the flavors of the Old World. It’s the next best thing to having a booth at Rao’s, after all its Bobby De Niro approved!! Mangia !! Trout signing out !!
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