Chicken Scarpariello is the real name of this wonderful Italian-American classic, also known as Shoemaker’s Chicken. It’s a terrific blend of sweet peppers and onion, the supporting cast for semi-braised chicken and Italian sausages. While there are some slightly spicy peppers in this version, there is no true ‘spiciness’. Rather, there is a piquancy, a tartness, due to a disproportionate amount of red wine vinegar that blends with white wine and stock to create the delicious sauce.
This recipe is based heavily on the version served at Rao’s, the famous Harlem restaurant that opened in 1896. Besides their food, they’re quite famous for having only eight tables and no possibility of a reservation. So the place is filled with regulars who essentially ‘own’ their given table on their given night, along with celebrities who fill in as permitted by the head of the original owning family.
If you have a serious desire for Rao’s, and haven’t run across their pastas and sauces in a grocery store (they really are quite good), then you can get a chance at the Los Angeles outpost they opened about 10 years ago. Not quite the same thing, but I’ll bet the food is quite good - someday I’ll find out.
Rao’s Chicken Scarpariello - “Shoemakers Chicken”
2-3 small red potatoes, sliced
- Parboiled to tender
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- Preheat to 400 deg.
3 lbs bone in chicken, seasoned
2 T olive oil
- Brown 5 min on each side
- Remove
2 lbs Italian sausage
- Sauté 3-4 min (undercooked)
- Remove and slice 1” pieces
- Remove all but 2 T oil
2 large bell pepper, in strips
2 jalapeños, in strips
1 lg onion, sliced
1 t garlic
- Sauté 5 min
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4-8 hot cherry peppers (in vinegar)
Sausage pieces
Potatoes
1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 C white wine
1/4+ C red wine vinegar
1 T dried oregano
S&P
- Mix together in sauté pan
- Spread on roasting pan
- Add chicken atop
- Roast up to 30 minutes, sauce thickened
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