Italian Chicken Scarpariello Recipe: Homestyle Comfort

Why You’ll Love This this Italian Chicken Scarpariello

This Italian Chicken Scarpariello brings together tender chicken and savory sausage in a tangy, vinegar-forward sauce that’ll make your taste buds do a little happy dance.

The combination of sweet and hot peppers creates this perfect balance of flavors – it’s like having a party in your mouth where everyone actually gets along.

Plus, you get to make your own vinegared peppers, which honestly makes you feel like some kind of old-world Italian grandmother, even if you can barely pronounce “scarpariello” without stumbling over it.

Ingredients List

Here’s everything you’ll need to create this deliciously tangy Italian masterpiece that’ll have your kitchen smelling like a proper Italian-American restaurant.

For the Main Dish:

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 lb sausage (combo of hot and sweet), cut into bite-size pieces
• 2-2 1/2 lbs chicken, cut into 12 small pieces, bone-in
• 2 large bell peppers (red, green, or yellow), cored, seeded, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
• 1 large yellow onion, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup halved vinegared hot cherry peppers
• 1/2 cup vinegared sweet bell peppers
• 1/2 cup vinegar (from the vinegared sweet bell peppers)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Vinegared Peppers:

• 1 1/2 lbs red or yellow bell peppers
• 6 pickling onions
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 cups white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup cold water

Health Considerations:

• This recipe calls for quite a bit of oil – you could reduce it to about 1/2 cup and still get great results, just be more careful about sticking
• The sausage and chicken combo gives you plenty of protein, but it’s also pretty high in saturated fat and sodium
• All those peppers are actually nutritional powerhouses – loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants
• The vinegar might help with blood sugar control, though I wouldn’t count this as health food exactly
• Consider using chicken thighs instead of a mix of pieces since they stay more tender and you won’t need as much oil

Step by Step Directions

This traditional Italian-American dish combines crispy chicken and sausage with tangy vinegared peppers for a bold, flavorful meal that’s surprisingly straightforward to prepare.

Preparing the Dish:

• Heat 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil in a large deep sauté pan over medium-high heat.
• Sauté 1 lb mixed hot and sweet sausage pieces for 8 minutes until lightly browned, then remove with slotted spoon and set aside.
• Pat 2-2 1/2 lbs bone-in chicken pieces dry and sauté in the same oil for 15 minutes until cooked through.
• Add 2 large bell peppers (sliced into 1/4-inch strips), 1 large yellow onion (sliced lengthwise), and 1 teaspoon minced garlic to the pan.
• Sauté vegetables for 5 minutes until soft and beginning to brown.
• Drain off all excess oil and return the cooked sausage to the pan.
• Add 1/2 cup dry white wine and 1/2 cup chicken broth, bringing mixture to a boil.
• Stir in 1/2 cup halved vinegared hot cherry peppers, 1/2 cup vinegared sweet bell peppers, 1/2 cup pepper vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until sauce reduces and flavors combine.

Making Vinegared Peppers (prepare 2 weeks ahead):

• Wash and prepare 1 1/2 lbs bell peppers by coring, quartering, seeding, and cutting into 1/2-inch strips.
• Peel 6 pickling onions and cut an X into both ends.
• Sterilize a 1-quart canning jar with boiling water, then pack peppers and onions inside, sprinkling with 1 teaspoon coarse salt.
• Cover completely with 2 cups white wine vinegar, adding 1/2 cup cold water if needed.
• Seal tightly, shake well, and marinate in a cool, dark place for at least 2 weeks before using.

For easier preparation of ingredients and more consistent results, consider using a professional stand mixer to help with any accompanying bread or pasta preparations that pair beautifully with this rustic dish.

Substitutions and Variations

• No time to make your own vinegared peppers? Store-bought pepperoncini and roasted red peppers from a jar work in a pinch, though you’ll miss some of that homemade tang.
• Bell peppers can be any color you want – I tend to grab whatever’s on sale, and honestly, the mix of colors makes it look more impressive.
• Hot cherry peppers too spicy for your crowd? Use mild banana peppers instead, or just cut the amount in half.

Wine and Broth Options:

• Don’t cook with wine you wouldn’t drink, but that doesn’t mean you need the expensive stuff – a decent Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc does the trick.
• Chicken broth can be swapped for vegetable broth if you want to lighten things up, though you’ll lose a bit of that rich flavor.
• No wine on hand? Add an extra splash of the pepper vinegar and some additional chicken broth – you’ll still get that acidic brightness that makes this dish sing.

Additional Things to Serve With This Dish

This hearty dish practically begs for sides that can soak up all that tangy, peppery goodness.

• Crusty Italian bread or focaccia – to be frank, you’ll want something with some serious crust to mop up every drop of that vinegary sauce, and day-old bread actually works better since it won’t fall apart on you.
• Creamy polenta or mashed potatoes – the smooth, buttery texture creates this perfect contrast against all those bold flavors, plus it helps tame the heat if you went heavy on the hot peppers.
• Simple pasta like penne or rigatoni – toss it with a little olive oil and garlic, maybe some fresh herbs, and you’ve got yourself a proper Italian feast without breaking a sweat.
• Sautéed broccoli rabe or green beans – something green and slightly bitter cuts through all that richness beautifully, and to be frank, we could all use more vegetables on our plates.
• Caesar salad or mixed greens with lemon vinaigrette – a crisp, acidic salad cleanses the palate between bites, though I’d skip anything too delicate since those bold flavors will steamroll right over it.
• Roasted root vegetables – carrots, potatoes, maybe some Brussels sprouts if you’re feeling fancy, all caramelized and golden, because who doesn’t love when half the meal cooks itself in the oven?

Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)

Getting this dish just right takes a few tricks that I’ve picked up over the years, and trust me, these little details make all the difference.

• Don’t crowd that pan – work in batches if you have to, because overcrowded chicken just steams instead of getting that beautiful golden crust we’re after, and nobody wants sad, pale chicken.
• Save some of that sausage fat – I know it sounds indulgent, but a tablespoon or two left in the pan adds incredible flavor to everything else, though obviously drain off the excess unless you want to swim in grease.
• Pat everything bone dry – seriously, grab those paper towels and get every bit of moisture off that chicken, because wet chicken in hot oil just splatters everywhere and refuses to brown properly.
• Let those peppers get some color – don’t rush this step, because slightly caramelized edges on your bell peppers add this sweet, smoky depth that raw peppers just can’t match.
• Taste your vinegared peppers first – some brands pack more heat than others, and you can always add more but you can’t take it back once it’s in there, learned that lesson the hard way.
• Make your own pickled peppers ahead – if you’ve got the time, homemade vinegared peppers blow the store-bought stuff out of the water, plus your kitchen smells amazing for days.
• Don’t skip the resting time – let this baby sit for 5-10 minutes after cooking, because all those flavors need a moment to get acquainted and the sauce thickens up beautifully.

Nutritional Facts

This hearty Italian-American dish packs plenty of protein but comes with a higher calorie and fat content due to the generous amount of oil and sausage.

• Calories per serving: Approximately 650-750 calories (recipe serves 4-6)
• Protein powerhouse: Around 35-40 grams of protein per serving from the chicken and sausage combination
• Fat content: About 45-55 grams of fat per serving, primarily from the vegetable oil and sausage
• Carbohydrates: Relatively low at 8-12 grams per serving, mainly from the bell peppers and onions
• Sodium levels: High sodium content (800-1000mg per serving) due to the sausage and vinegared peppers
• Vitamin C boost: Bell peppers provide 100-150% of daily vitamin C requirements
• Iron source: Chicken and sausage contribute approximately 15-20% of daily iron needs
• Saturated fat: Contains 12-15 grams of saturated fat per serving, which is about 60-75% of recommended daily intake
• Cholesterol: Approximately 85-100mg per serving from the chicken and sausage
• Fiber content: Low fiber at 2-3 grams per serving from the vegetables
• B-vitamins: Good source of niacin, B6, and B12 from the chicken

Fun “Did You Know?”

Ever wonder why this beloved Italian-American dish bears such an unusual name?

“Scarpariello” literally translates to “shoemaker’s style” in Italian, though food historians can’t agree on whether it earned this moniker because busy cobblers could quickly toss it together between customers, or because the rustic, patchwork appearance of mixed ingredients resembled a shoemaker’s humble workspace.

I find it fascinating that this recipe showcases Italian-American ingenuity—combining Old World techniques with New World ingredients.

The vinegared peppers, essential to authentic scarpariello, were Italian immigrants’ clever way of preserving summer’s bounty for year-round cooking in their adopted homeland.