Description
A bold, comforting Italian-American skillet dinner with browned chicken thighs, Italian sausage, peppers, onions, garlic, and pickled cherry peppers in a glossy sweet tangy sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (6 to 8 thighs)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage, sweet or spicy, about 4 links
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh sage
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 8 pickled cherry peppers, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup pickled pepper brine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Pat the chicken dry and season all over with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin side down and cook until deeply browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Flip and cook the second side for about 3 minutes, then transfer to a plate.
- Add the sausage links to the same pan and brown on both sides, about 3 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board and slice each link into 3 or 4 pieces.
- Add the onion and red bell pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits, until softened, about 4 minutes.
- Add the sage and garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Stir in the sliced pickled cherry peppers and pickled pepper brine. Add the chicken stock, red wine vinegar, and sugar, then stir to combine.
- Return the sliced sausage to the skillet. Nestle the chicken back into the pan skin side up.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and braise for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the sauce is glossy and slightly reduced.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then serve hot with the sauce, peppers, onions, and sausage spooned around the chicken.
Notes
- Keep the chicken skin mostly above the liquid so it stays appealing and does not soften too much.
- Choose mild or hot pickled peppers depending on how spicy you want the final dish.
- This recipe reheats well and tastes even better the next day.
- Serve with polenta, roasted potatoes, rice, or crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 980
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 1450 mg
- Fat: 68 g
- Saturated Fat: 20 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 42 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 69 g
- Cholesterol: 285 mg
Keywords: chicken scarpariello, italian american chicken, chicken and sausage skillet, braised chicken thighs, pickled pepper chicken
