This one-pot meal is hearty, tangy, and perfect for a Sunday night supper with family or friends. The name is Italian for “shoemaker’s chicken.” Some versions contain potatoes, but I prefer to leave them out or substitute mushrooms. If you are unable to find pickled cherry peppers at your local market, feel free to substitute pickled banana peppers. It’s the piquancy that matters.
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 4 Italian sausages, sweet or hot
- 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (optional)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 red and green sweet or hot pickled cherry peppers, sliced
- 1/4 cup pickled cherry pepper brine
- 4 leaves fresh sage, minced
- 1 1/2 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken broth
Directions
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Step 2
Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large, deep frying pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil, then arrange the chicken thighs in the pan, skin side down, and sauté without moving until deeply browned, about 8 minutes. Turn over and brown the other side, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer to a plate. Add the sausages to the pan and sauté, turning frequently, until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer the sausages to a cutting board and let cool. Slice each link into rounds.
Step 3
Reduce the heat under the pan to medium. Add the onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic and sauté until the vegetables soften, adding more olive oil if needed. Add the pickled cherry peppers, cherry pepper brine, and sage. Deglaze the pan with the broth, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Step 4
Return the chicken thighs and sausages to the pan. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 30 to 35 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Serve immediately.
Serves 6