Chicken Scarpariello

Chicken Scarpariello has to be one our favorite chicken dishes of all time! Well, maybe next to Rao's Lemon Chicken and Chicken Piccata. But it's way up there, really high on the list! My original post on Chicken Scarpariello is here!  It's the recipe I've used for years, and we love it. But this recipe from Rao's sounded so good, I decided to try it instead of my old standby, which is very similar. I left out the jalapeno's!  We loved it. In the old recipe I used lemon juice, this one had red wine vinegar! Nice change.

Rao's Chicken Scarpariello
Source: original recipe from Rao's Cookbook, original adaption at NY Times recipes
adapted There's Always Thyme to Cook

olive oil for pan
2 2 1/2-pound chickens, rinsed, patted dry, spines removed, each cut into 12 pieces (note - I also removed the skin!)
4 links Italian sausage (sweet, hot or both), in the casings, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large bell peppers (red, yellow or green), seeded and cut into thin strips
1 large sweet onion, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
6 hot vinegared cherry peppers, left whole  (I used sliced and poured in a little juice)
2 to 3 small potatoes, peeled, boiled and sliced (optional)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the sausage until brown. Remove from pan. In batches, brown the chicken on each side. Remove the chicken and drain on paper towels. In the same pan, sauté the bell peppers, onion and garlic until soft and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan.

Carefully pour oil from pan. Return the sausage, chicken and vegetables to the pan. Add the cherry peppers, potatoes, chicken broth, wine, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through about 15 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until the sauce has reduced slightly, about 10 minutes.

This tastes even better if prepared a day ahead. Prepare until the chicken has cooked through, don't reduce the sauce. Let cool and refrigerate. Next day, reheat, covered, until heated through. Uncover and continue simmering until sauce is reduced slightly.

Joining Suzy from Kitchen Bouquet for another Flashback Friday!