Shoemaker Chicken Pollo Scarpariella Recipes

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:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Mix together the flour and oregano. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour mixture.
• In a large, heavy, oven-proof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and brown the chicken on both sides. Then remove the chicken to a plate.
• Pour off oven pan juices to leave 2 tbsp of juice (with brown bits) in the pan. Add the onion and cook until soft, then add the garlic.
• As soon as garlic starts to sizzle, add the wine and scrape the pan to release brown bits. Over medium heat, reduce the wine by half.
• Add the chicken stock and bring to a bowl over high heat. Once boiling, add the chicken pieces and the rosemary to the skillet. Spoon some pan juices over the chicken, and put the skillet in the oven to bake for 20 minutes.
• Just before cook time is over, mix the softened butter with the tablespoon of flour (to make a thickener).
• Remove skillet from oven, and move the chicken pieces from the skillet to a warmed platter. Bring the remaining sauce to a boil.
• Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Then add the flour-butter mixture plus the remaining two tablespoons butter. Remove rosemary and whisk the mixture until the flour-mixture is dissolved (no lumps).
• Once the sauce thickens, stir in the parsley, and pour the sauce over the chicken on the platter. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN SCARPARIELLA

Steps:

• 1. Wash the chicken under cold running water. Place chicken in a large bowl; cover with fresh water and sprinkle on 2 tablespoon salt. Refrigerate for 1 hour, to brine (this improves cooked meat's texture and moistness). Remove chicken from water, rinse again and dry with paper towels.
• 2. Cut the chicken into at least 10 pieces. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and sprinkle with oregano. Add more oregano if desired.
• 3. Warm oil over low heat in a 12-inch, heavy, straight-sided skillet or Dutch oven with a lid . Shallow fry the chicken in batches until golden brown, turning pieces gently with tongs as they brown. Transfer browned chicken to a platter.
• 4. Add garlic slices to skillet, still over low heat. Cook gently, being careful not to brown garlic. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to platter with chicken.
• 5. Squeeze the juice of lemon half into skillet. Add the lemon to the pan as well. Add the wine, vinegar, and stock. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• 6. Return the chicken and any platter juices to the skillet. Bring liquid to a simmer; cover pan and braise chicken until fully cooked, about 8 minutes. (The small pieces will cook more quickly than the large ones, so you have to keep an eye on the pot so as not to overcook them.)
• 7. Transfer cooked chicken to a serving platter. Add the rosemary, parsely, and butter to the skillet. Stir to combine and pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve immediately.