Chef Lidias Chicken Scarpariello Food

RAO'S CHICKEN SCARPARIELLO (SHOEMAKER'S CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, brown the chicken, skin side down to start, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the sausage and sauté until brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. (They will not be cooked all the way through at this point.) Remove with a slotted spoon, cut into 1-inch slices and set aside.
• Remove all but 2 tablespoons oil from the pot and sauté the bell peppers, jalapeños, onion and garlic until soft and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Return the sausage to pot, add the cherry peppers, potatoes (if using), chicken broth, wine, vinegar, oregano and season with salt and pepper. Gently mix together, then transfer everything in the pot to a roasting pan. Nestle the chicken in the vegetables and sausage and roast in the oven until chicken is cooked through and sauce has reduced slightly, about 30 minutes.

CHICKEN SCARPARIELLO

Steps:

• Coat a large, wide pan with olive oil and bring the pan to a medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown well. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and reserve.
• Season the chicken generously with salt and add to the pan that the sausage was browned in. Brown the chicken well. Once the chicken is brown on all sides, remove it from the pan and reserve.
• Drain the oil from the pan and return it to the heat. Coat the pan lightly with new olive oil, add the onions, and season with salt. Cook the onions over medium heat until they are translucent and very aromatic, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes.
• Add the wine to the pan and reduce it by half. While the wine is reducing, scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the sausage and chicken to the pan and add the cherry peppers, cherry pepper juice, chicken stock, and oregano. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for 5 more minutes; add more chicken stock if the stock has reduced too much.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed. The finished dish should be slightly soupy, spicy, and delicious.

CHICKEN SCARPARIELLO

Steps:

• Spear the peppers with a kitchen fork or skewer and hold them over an open flame until charred all over. Place the charred peppers in a paper bag or in a covered container until they are cool enough to handle. (This step completes the cooking of the peppers and facilitates removing the skin.) Rub off the skins (never run them under water, which washes away the flavorful oils), cut the peppers in half lengthwise, and discard the stems and seeds. Cut the pepper halves into 1/4-inch wide strips and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and reserve.
• Add the sausage to the skillet and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. (Reduce the heat as needed to keep the skillet from burning.) Toss in the mushrooms and cook along with the sausage, stirring until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the peppers and stir in the flour. Cook for 1 minute, stir in the vinegar, broth and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper.
• Return the sauteed chicken pieces to the skillet along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Cover the skillet and simmer gently, until the chicken is just cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to a warm serving platter. Return the skillet to the heat and reduce the liquid until it thickens to a sauce consistency, about 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Spoon the sauce, mushrooms, peppers and sausage over the chicken. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley, and serve immediately.

CHICKEN SCARPARIELLO

Steps:

• Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Cut chicken into large chunks and season with salt and pepper and poultry seasoning. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin oil to the hot pan, 1 turn in a slow stream. Set chicken into pan and do not turn for 2 or 3 minutes or you will tear the meat. Brown chicken 3 minutes on each side and then remove all of the chicken to a warm plate. Add bell peppers, hot peppers and garlic to the pan. Saute the peppers and garlic for 5 minutes, tossing and turning them frequently. Add wine to the pan and reduce 1 minute. Scrape up the pan drippings. Add the chicken stock and bring it up to a bubble. Set the chicken back into the pan. Toss the parsley with the chicken and peppers and cook the chicken through, 2 or 3 minutes. Scatter a little hot pepper juice over the pan and serve the Scarpariello over a bed of lemon orzo. WOW!
• Cook orzo in salted water about 12 minutes, to al dente. Drain orzo well. Do not run under cold water. You want the cooked pasta to remain hot. Transfer pasta to a serving bowl. Drizzle orzo with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add lemon zest and parsley and toss to combine the flavors with the pasta.

CHEF LIDIA'S CHICKEN SCARPARIELLO RECIPE

Steps:

• Cut each chicken into twelve pieces as described in preceding recipe. Wash and pat the chicken pieces dry, then season them generously with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 475 Fahrenheit. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add to the skillet as many pieces of chicken-skin side down, and starting with the leg, thigh and wing pieces-as fit without touching. Cook the chicken, turning as necessary, until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces as they brown, and drain them briefly on paper towels. Place the drained chicken pieces in a roasting pan large enough to hold all of them in a single layer. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding more oil to the pan as necessary and adjusting the heat to prevent the bits that stick to the pan from over browning. As room becomes available in the skillet after all the chicken has been added, tuck in pieces of sausage and cook, turning until browned on all sides. Remove all chicken and sausage from the pan, add the garlic, and cook until golden, being careful not to burn it. Scatter the cherry peppers in the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and stir for a minute. Pour in the vinegar and bring to a boil, scraping into the liquid the browned bits that stick to the skillet, and cook until the vinegar is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the roasting pan and stir to coat. Place the chicken in the oven and roast, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and sticky, like molasses, about 10 minutes. If the sauce is still too thin, place the roasting pan directly over medium-high heat on the stovetop and cook, stirring, until it is reduced, about a minute or two. Once the sauce is thickened, toss in parsley and serve.