Sunday, February 17, 2008

Chicken Scarpariello




Groom remembers a dish from a restaurant in Myrtle Beach that he loved. Chicken with pasta and garlic and peppers. He’s made it for years using pepperoncinis. But you just can’t count on those peppers. They are either so damn hot they're inedible or just perfect. Tired of taking chances with the peps, we decided, after much research, to try the recipe with the pickled cherry peppers. Brilliant!


Got a jar of pickled cherry peppers in your well stocked pantry? If not, head to the grocery and buy one of these treasures. Trappey’s makes a good one. Grab some sweet Italian sausage and Italian parsley and you have the makings of a great meal that’s a quick fix for a weeknight.


Chicken Scarpariello
Adapted from lots of recipes but mostly
Lidia’s Italian American Kitchen

6 boneless chicken thighs
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
A couple of good swirls of extra virgin olive oil
¼ pound sweet Italian sausage (I used one made with chicken), cut into 1 inch pieces
5 fat cloves garlic, chopped
4 pickled cherry peppers, cut in half and stemmed
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup dry white wine
½ cup chicken stock
Italian parsley for garnish, chopped
Cooked pasta

Heat a couple of good swirls of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken thighs and cook, turning, until golden brown on all sides. Takes about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the chicken as it browns place on plate and tent with foil. Add sausage, adding a bit more olive oil if you need it. Once all the sausage and chicken is done remove all from pan.

Add the garlic and cook til golden. Don’t burn it. Add the peppers, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir. Pour in the vinegar and bring to a boil. Scrape the browned bits and cook til vinegar is reduced by half. Add white wine and boil til reduced by half. This doesn’t take long. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil again. Add the chicken and sausage back to the skillet and stir to coat. Stir. When the sauce has thickened, serve over the hot pasta and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.
Serves 3
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mary:

I grilled some chicken breasts and sausage last evening and if I have time to cook this evening something very like that recipe will find it's way into my evening meal. I like Marsala instead of white wine and might use jalapenos (because they are about the right heat for me). I've got a small bottle of Villa Mandori Aceto Balsamico (it's thick as maple syrup), so that will go in there too.

It's all good.

democommie

michael, claudia and sierra said...

sounds damn fine demo... i think you are inspired!!!

mary - i used to order this all the time at a great restaurant in queens - very mafiosa kinda place - called parkside. wonder if it's still there? it was in corona. boce ball out front...