Chicken Scarpariello

Brown the sausage. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Tear the Johnsonville sausage into small pieces and sear until browned. Remove and set aside.

Sear the chicken. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Add another splash of olive oil to the same pan and sear chicken skin-side down until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Flip, cook 2 minutes more, then remove and reserve.

Build the base. Add the onions, shallots, and garlic to the pan. Cook until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the whole cherry peppers and a spoonful of their brine. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring to coat, and cook for 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste.

Deglaze and reduce. Pour in the dry sherry and scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Let it reduce by half. Stir in chicken stock and bouillon, simmering until slightly thickened.

Bring it all together. Nestle the chicken back into the sauce, skin-side up, and scatter the browned sausage pieces around. Place the whole pan in a smoker running at 300–325ºF with oak or fruitwood. Cook until the chicken hits 170ºF internal temperature (about 35–45 minutes).

Finish and serve. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil, season with salt to taste, and shower with fresh parsley. Serve right out of the pan with crusty bread to soak up that tangy, smoky sauce.

We go to 170ºF on purpose — it’s dark meat, so higher temp means tender, juicy, fall-apart chicken that still has great bite. 

The sausage gets you spice and richness; the cherry peppers bring sweet heat and tang. 

This is a one-pan wonder — perfect for the smoker, easy cleanup, and maximum flavor.