Shoemaker’s Chicken (or Chicken Scarpariello) is a classic Italian dish that isn’t really Italian at all. The true story goes something like this: Italians come to America and start adapting and creating new recipes, they become popular, a new tradition is born.
“Authentic” or not, it’s still delicious, flavored with a sweet/sour pan sauce that cooks right with the chicken. One pan, minimal cleanup. Always a good thing.
There, are (naturally) plenty of variations on this dish, from just simply cooking it with olive oil, wine, and lemon to adding sausage and peppadew peppers. Well, I didn’t have any sausage. I also didn’t have the right peppers, and since a) I didn’t want to get some for one meal or b) burden you with getting a whole jar of something for one meal, I used ordinary bell peppers instead. Then I added a bit of vinegar and a pinch of sugar to approximate the peppadew flavor.
Also, I used two different recipes as a starting point. The first one, from Bon Appetit, called for browning the chicken in a skillet and then transferring to the oven to finish, The second one, from Pierre Franey’s 60 Minute Gourmet cookbook, cooked it all entirely in the skillet. My skillets are old, and I’m not entirely sure how oven-safe they are. So, all-on-the stove top it was!
I did, however, make the potatoes suggested in Bon Appetit’s recipe. That was just simply heating the oven to 450, then cutting a large Yukon potato into chunks, tossing it with 1 T of olive oil, salt and pepper and baking for about 20-25 minutes.
Order of operations: If you’re making the potatoes, preheat the oven first, then start the chicken, cut up the potatoes, put them in to cook, and finish the chicken.
Shoemaker's Chicken for One
Ingredients
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 chicken thigh
- 1/4 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 14/C white wine
- 1/4 C chicken broth
- 1/4 red bell pepper
- 1T white wine vinegar
- 1 sprig rosemary
- Pinch sugar
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in small skillet
- Add the chicken thigh and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side
- Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Add the onion, pepper, and garlic to the pan.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes, until the onion wilts.
- Add the wine, and cook another 8 minutes, deglazing the pan, and scraping off the brown bits.
- Now add the broth, peppers, and the rosemary, and bring to a boil.
- Turn down the flame to medium and reduce until the liquid cooks down a bit (roughly 5 minutes)
- Add the chicken back to the pan and cook another 10-12 minutes until the juices run clear.
More Chicken Recipes
Stovetop Coq au Vin Chicken with Red Wine Sauce
A streamlined version of a French classic (with an “easy” button). Ready in under an hour, with only one pan to clean.
Chicken and Mushroom Skillet Recipe
The perfect solution when you want food fast. It makes its own sauce, right in the pan.
Perfect for summer, bathed in a sweet, tangy sauce with just a hint of savory warm spiciness. And super simple to make.
Chicken with Tarragon and Mushrooms
Fancy French food (without going out, or paying a big bill). Increase the recipe, make it for company, and they’ll think you’re a food genius. Or, keep it all to yourself.
I always wonder about the skillet in the oven thing. This sounds stylish
I just didn’t want to take the chance! It is rather stylish (also easy).