Chicken with Sausage and Hot Cherry Peppers

Makes 4 servings
Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Total preparation time: 50 minutes

This is based on an Italian dish called scarpariello – sort of a “turf and turf.” I love the combination of chicken and sausages to begin with, and when you throw in the pickled peppers, the whole dish takes on a lively peppery taste. When I first made this, I braised the chicken in the sauce and it came out a little tough (my stove is electric and it is hard to get the low temperature right.) The skin was rubbery, too. I decided I could achieve a crisper skin and a moister texture by searing the chicken on top of the stove and finishing it in the oven. This has the added benefit of speeding up the preparation time since you can make the sauce on top of the stove while the chicken is in the oven. If you are a glutton for very spicy food, use hot Italian sausage. If you are trying to cut back on fat, use turkey sausages.

4 chicken breast halves with skin and bone, halved crosswise
Kosher salt and freshly milled black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 pickled cherry peppers, quartered, stems and seeds discarded
2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 cup white wine
One 14 or 14 1/2-ounce can chicken broth or 1 3/4 cups Chicken Stock (See Episode 103)
Two 6 1/2-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 1/2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot; reduce the heat to medium-high and add the chicken to the skillet skin-side down. Saute until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Place the chicken, skin-side up, on a rimmed baking sheet; place in the center of the oven and bake 25 minutes or until just cooked through.

Meanwhile, add the sausage to the skillet in which you cooked the chicken. Cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the peppers and garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and artichoke hearts and cook 5 minutes.

Whisk together 2 tablespoons of water and the flour; whisk into the sausage mixture and cook until thickened. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Stir any juices that have collected on the baking sheet into the sauce. Return the sauce to a boil and spoon over the chicken.