Chicken Scarpariello

While reading through my Carmine's Family-Style Cookbook, I noticed that this chicken was hailed as the "top-selling" chicken dish. There was no picture and the recipe doesn't boast many ingredients, but it still caught my attention. After all, I have loved all the recipes from my Carmine's book. My picture didn't turn out too well, and the dish doesn't have a lot of color, but this chicken was fabulous, a real family pleaser. We served it over some great pasta called Trofie, that I bought at a specialty shop. Isn't it cool looking? I had a feeling this chicken was going to be delicious and I wanted to serve it with a special treat.
Chicken Scarpariello - adapted from Carmine's Family-Style Cookbook
One 3-1/2 pound chicken, cut into 12 pieces *I used 3 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
freshly ground black pepper
3 lemons
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic - 4 tablespoons of garlic is a ton, but very delicious
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup dry white wine
salt
lemon wedges, for garnish

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Add the salt, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, 1 teaspoon of the oregano, 1 teaspoon of the sage, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Squeeze the juice of the lemons over the chicken, toss it well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the chicken at least 24 hours.

After chicken has marinated and you are ready to cook, heat oven to 400F. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the marinade.

In a large saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot and starting to smoke, add the chicken pieces. Cook the chicken, without moving it for 5 minutes or until it is golden brown. Turn it over and cook the other side, without moving it, for 5 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes more, or until it is all evenly browned.

Using tongs, transfer chicken to a shallow roasting pan. Bake the chicken for 12-15 minutes or until it is cooked through. Meanwhile, discard any oil in the saute pan and wipe it clean with paper towels.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in the saute pan over medium heat. When it is melted, add the garlic, shallots, and remaning rosemary, oregano, and sage. Cook the mixture, stirring, for about 2 minutes or until the garlic and shallots start to brown.

Increase the heat and add the wine, stirring the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze it. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes or until most of the wine has evaporated.

Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon into the sauce. It will not thicken.

Transfer the chicken to the saute pan and mix the sauce and chicken well.

Place the chicken on a large platter, pour the sauce over it, and serve it garnished with lemon wedges.

Notes/Results: This chicken is a zesty delight! I think I inhaled mine and would've ate more, if there had been more to go around. The best part is that you can probably create this dish with your normal pantry ingredients on hand. I didn't use a whole chicken like the recipe called for. I used 3 chicken breasts and adjusted my cooking times down. I cooked the breasts on each side about 4 minutes per side and then about 10 minutes or less in the oven. The four tablespoons of chopped garlic is perfect. If you make this recipe, be sure to measure your garlic! You will not want to miss having all that yummy garlic and four tablespoons really is a lot. Definitely the perfect dish for this Halloween season, especially if you're trying to ward off vampires!! I loved how tender this chicken was. Mine was able to marinate for about 36 hours and it was so tender. I happened to have all the fresh herbs on hand, but most of the time I don't. I don't see why you couldn't use dried herbs, but I would reduce the amount since dried herbs are more potent. A fabulous and zesty family chicken dish that is great to serve with pasta. I will be making this again.