This One-Pan Chicken Scarpariello with Sausage is a classic Italian-American dish that delivers a punch of bold, sweet-and-sour flavors. Often referred to as “Shoemaker’s Chicken,” this recipe combines crispy skin-on chicken, savory Italian sausage, and a vibrant sauce made with pickled cherry peppers.
With juicy meat, tender peppers, and a tangy, garlic-infused sauce, this meal is a restaurant-quality dinner made right in your own kitchen.
Recipe Details
- Flavor Profile: This dish is known for its “agrodolce” flavor a delicious balance of sour from the vinegar in the cherry peppers and sweet from the sugar and bell peppers, all grounded by savory herbs and garlic.
- Texture: You get crispy chicken skin and tender meat, firm bites of sausage, and softened aromatics in a glossy, coating sauce.
- Time: 30 minutes active prep/cooking, 30 minutes bake time.
- Difficulty: Intermediate. It involves searing meats, building a pan sauce, and finishing in the oven.
What You’ll Need
To make this recipe, you will need a 4- to 5-quart straight-sided sauté pan or a Dutch oven that can go from the stovetop to the oven. A wooden spoon is essential for scraping up the flavorful browned bits (fond) from the bottom of the pan. The ingredients rely on a mix of fresh poultry and sausage, aromatic vegetables, and the key pantry staple: pickled cherry peppers.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Thighs – You need bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. The bone keeps the meat juicy during the bake, and the skin provides that essential crispiness.
- Italian Sausage – Use sweet or hot Italian sausage links. These add a rich, savory depth to the dish.
- Pickled Cherry Peppers – These are the star of the show. You will need the peppers themselves (sliced) and some of the pickling liquid from the jar to create the tangy sauce.
- Red Bell Pepper – Thinly sliced red bell pepper adds sweetness and color.
- Onion – A medium yellow or white onion, thinly sliced, builds the aromatic base.
- Fresh Sage – Finely minced fresh sage leaves add an earthy, pine-like aroma that pairs perfectly with the poultry and sausage.
- Chicken Stock – Low-sodium chicken stock allows you to control the saltiness of the sauce.
- Sugar – Two tablespoons of sugar are crucial to balance the acidity of the vinegar from the peppers.
- Garlic – Thinly sliced garlic cloves cook down to add a mellow, savory background flavor.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Sausage – If you prefer, you can use chicken or turkey Italian sausage links instead of traditional meat links.
- Heat Level – For a spicy kick, use hot pickled cherry peppers. For a milder family-friendly version, stick to sweet cherry peppers.
- Potatoes – While not in this specific recipe, Chicken Scarpariello is often served with roasted potatoes. You can serve them on the side to soak up the sauce.
How to Make One-Pan Chicken Scarpariello with Sausage
- Prep and Sear Chicken: Adjust your oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a 4- to 5-quart straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken, skin side down. Cook without moving it until well browned and crisp, about 8 minutes total (lower the heat if the pan smokes excessively). Flip the chicken and brown lightly on the second side, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a large plate and set aside.
- Brown the Sausage: Return the skillet to the heat without draining the fat. Add the sausage links. Cook until well browned on the first side, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip the sausage and cook on the second side until browned, about 1 1/2 minutes longer. Remove the pan from the heat, transfer the sausage to a cutting board, and cut each link into 3 to 4 slices.
- Sauté Aromatics: Return the pan to the heat. Add the sliced onion and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon, until softened and starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the minced sage and sliced garlic, stir to combine, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Make the Sauce: Add the sliced pickled cherry peppers and their pickling liquid to the pan, stirring and scraping up any remaining browned bits from the bottom. Pour in the chicken stock and sugar, and stir to combine.
- Combine and Bake: Return the sliced sausage to the pan and toss to combine with the vegetables. Return the chicken pieces to the pan, skin side up, nestling them down among the sauce, vegetables, and sausage (try to keep the skin above the liquid line to stay crisp). Transfer the pan to the oven and cook until the chicken is crisp and tender, about 30 minutes.
- Serve: Serve immediately, spooning the sauce, vegetables, and sausage around the chicken pieces.
Pro Tip: Don’t drain the fat from the pan after searing the chicken and sausage! That rendered fat is packed with flavor and is essential for sautéing the onions and peppers, giving the final sauce a rich, velvety mouthfeel.
Recipe Tips
- Skin Side Up: When returning the chicken to the pan before baking, make sure the skin is facing up and not submerged in the liquid. This ensures the skin stays crispy while the meat braises in the flavorful juices.
- Prep Ingredients First: This recipe moves quickly once you start cooking. Have your onions, peppers, garlic, and cherry peppers sliced and measured before you heat the oil.
- Scrape the Pan: The “fond” (browned bits) on the bottom of the pan is pure flavor. Be diligent about scraping it up when you add the vegetables and liquids.
FAQs
- What makes this dish sweet and sour? The combination of the vinegar pickling liquid from the cherry peppers (sour) and the added sugar (sweet) creates the classic agrodolce flavor profile.
- Can I use boneless chicken? Bone-in thighs are best for moisture during the 30-minute bake. If you use boneless, you will need to reduce the cooking time significantly to prevent drying out.
- Is this dish spicy? It depends entirely on the cherry peppers you choose. If you use sweet peppers, it will be tangy but mild. If you use hot peppers, it will have a significant kick.
Serving Suggestions
- Crusty Bread: A loaf of Italian bread or baguette is mandatory for mopping up the delicious vinegar-based sauce.
- Potatoes: Roasted fingerling potatoes or mashed potatoes make a hearty side.
- Polenta: Creamy polenta is a wonderful base to soak up the juices.
Make This Recipe in Advance
- Prep: You can slice the onions, peppers, and garlic a day in advance and store them in the fridge.
- Reheating: This dish reheats well. Place leftovers in a baking dish, cover with foil, and warm in a 350°F oven until heated through. Uncover for the last 5 minutes to re-crisp the skin.
One-Pan Chicken Scarpariello with Sausage
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
Description
This One-Pan Chicken Scarpariello with Sausage is a classic Italian-American dish that delivers a punch of bold, sweet-and-sour flavors. Often referred to as “Shoemaker’s Chicken,” this recipe combines crispy skin-on chicken, savory Italian sausage, and a vibrant sauce made with pickled cherry peppers. With juicy meat, tender peppers, and a tangy, garlic-infused sauce, this meal is a restaurant-quality dinner made right in your own kitchen.
Ingredients
The Meat
- 2 1/2 lbs (1.15kg) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (6–8 thighs)
- 3–4 links Italian sausage (sweet or hot), approx. 1 1/2 lbs (700g)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (for searing)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
The Aromatics & Veg
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, finely minced
- 8 pickled cherry peppers (hot or sweet), thinly sliced
The Agrodolce Sauce
- 1/4 cup (60ml) pickling liquid (from the cherry pepper jar)
- 1 cup (240ml) low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons (28g) granulated sugar
Instructions
Prep
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper.
Sear Chicken
Heat the vegetable oil in a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken skin-side down. Cook undisturbed for 8 minutes until skin is deeply browned and crisp. Flip and brown the other side for 3 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate.
Brown Sausage
Add the whole sausage links to the hot fat left in the pan. Brown on both sides (approx. 3 minutes total). Remove to a cutting board and slice each link into 3–4 pieces.
Sauté Aromatics
Add the sliced onion and red bell pepper to the pan. Cook for 4 minutes, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits (fond) from the bottom. Stir in the minced sage and sliced garlic; cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Make Sauce
Add the sliced cherry peppers and their pickling liquid. Pour in the chicken stock and sugar. Stir to combine and dissolve the sugar.
Combine
Return the sliced sausage to the pan and toss with the vegetables. Return the chicken thighs to the pan, skin-side up. Technique: Nestle the chicken into the sauce but keep the crispy skin above the liquid line so it stays crunchy.
Bake
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
Serve
Spoon the sauce, sausage, and peppers around the chicken. Serve hot.
Notes
Don’t Drain the Fat: After searing the meats, leave the rendered fat in the pan. It is packed with flavor and essential for sautéing the vegetables and creating a velvety sauce.
Sweet vs. Hot: The spice level depends entirely on the cherry peppers. Use sweet peppers for a mild, tangy dish, or hot peppers for a spicy kick.
Agrodolce Secret: The combination of vinegar (from the pickling liquid) and sugar creates the signature “agrodolce” (sour-sweet) flavor profile that makes this dish addictive.
Crispy Skin: Ensure the chicken skin stays above the sauce level when baking. If submerged, it will become soggy.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop to Oven / Braising
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Thigh + Sausage & Sauce
- Calories: 680
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 1450mg
- Fat: 48g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 24g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 42g
- Cholesterol: 185mg
Keywords: chicken scarpariello recipe, italian sausage and chicken, one pan chicken dinner, pickled cherry peppers recipe, shoemakers chicken, agrodolce sauce, dutch oven recipes
