Chicken Murphy is a hearty Italian-American skillet dinner from New Jersey’s Jersey Shore: floured, browned chicken and Italian sausage with red and green bell peppers, onion, mushrooms and potatoes, all simmered in a white wine sauce made tangy with sweet Peppadew peppers and their brine. It serves 4 and comes together in about an hour in one pan.
How to make it: Dredge and brown the chicken, then brown the sausage. Cook the peppers, onion, mushrooms and garlic in the drippings, add a little flour and the wine and reduce it until syrupy. Simmer the broth, brine, potatoes and Peppadews until the potatoes are tender, then stir in butter and return the meat.
Why You’ll Love It
- Big, bold flavor: sausage, peppers and a tangy, peppery wine sauce.
- One pan: everything cooks in a single high-sided skillet or Dutch oven.
- A full meal: meat, vegetables and potatoes together.
- Restaurant favorite at home: the Jersey Shore classic made in your kitchen.
What Is Chicken Murphy?
Chicken Murphy is an Italian-American dish from New Jersey’s Jersey Shore. Its exact origin is disputed. What sets it apart from other chicken and sausage skillets is its spicy, tangy kick from pickled peppers, which balance the rich meat and potatoes. Pickled cherry peppers are the traditional choice; this recipe uses sweet Peppadew peppers and a splash of their brine for the same tang with a little more sweetness.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken: One pound of boneless chicken cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes, seasoned and dredged in flour before browning.
Italian sausage: One pound with the casing removed, browned in pieces.
Vegetables: One large onion, one red and one green bell pepper cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces, 16 ounces of quartered cremini mushrooms and four large cloves of garlic.
White wine and broth: A cup of white wine, reduced until syrupy, then two cups of chicken broth for the sauce.
Peppadew peppers and brine: A cup of Peppadew peppers cut in half and half a cup of the brine from the jar. This is where the tang comes from.
Potato: One russet potato in 3/4-inch dice. It simmers in the sauce until just tender.
Finishing: Two tablespoons of butter stirred in at the end, Italian seasoning, and chopped fresh parsley on top.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
- Salt and black pepper, to taste, plus 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper for the sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup Peppadew pepper brine, from the jar
- 1 russet potato, cut into 3/4-inch dice
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup Peppadew peppers, cut in half
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
How to Make Chicken Murphy
1. Flour the chicken. Season the chicken cubes generously with salt and pepper. Put 1/4 cup flour in a shallow bowl, dredge the chicken in it and shake off the excess.
2. Brown the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large high-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, then move it to a plate.
3. Brown the sausage. Add the sausage and cook over medium heat, breaking it up, until browned and cooked through (160°F). Move it to the plate with the chicken. Take the pan off the heat and pour off all but enough fat to coat the bottom.
4. Cook the vegetables and wine. Add the onion, red and green peppers, mushrooms and garlic and cook on medium for 6 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle in the remaining 1 tablespoon flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine, bring to a boil, then simmer briskly until it reduces to a thick, syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes.
5. Simmer the potatoes. Add the Peppadew brine, chicken broth, potato, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, Italian seasoning and Peppadew peppers. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes.
6. Finish. Stir in the butter, return the chicken and sausage, and cook until heated through, the chicken reaches 165°F and the potato edges begin to crumble. Sprinkle with parsley and serve, over angel hair pasta if you like.
The Secret Is the Peppers and the Wine Sauce
Chicken Murphy is not just chicken and sausage with peppers. Two things give it its signature taste.
The pickled peppers and their brine. The tangy, slightly spicy pickled peppers are what make chicken Murphy taste like chicken Murphy. Here, sweet Peppadew peppers go in along with half a cup of their brine. If you prefer the traditional heat, use pickled cherry peppers and their liquid.
A properly reduced wine sauce. After the vegetables soften, a spoonful of flour goes in, then the wine. Let it boil and simmer briskly for about 5 minutes, until it turns thick and syrupy. Then the broth and brine go in, and a knob of butter finishes the sauce at the end.
Brown, then return. Browning the floured chicken and the sausage first, then setting them aside while the potatoes simmer, and adding them back at the end to heat through.
Tips for Success
How do I know the chicken and sausage are done?
The sausage should reach 160°F when you brown it, and the chicken should reach 165°F after it goes back into the sauce. Check with a food thermometer.
Why pour off the fat?
After the sausage browns, leave just enough fat to coat the bottom of the pan for the vegetables and pour off the rest.
When are the potatoes done?
Simmer them covered until just tender, about 20 minutes. They finish cooking with the meat, until the edges just begin to crumble.
Can I make it spicier?
Yes. Swap the Peppadew peppers for pickled cherry peppers, the traditional choice, and use some of their liquid in place of the Peppadew brine.
Do I need a big pan?
Yes. A large high-sided skillet or a Dutch oven holds the meat, vegetables, potatoes and sauce.
Variations
- Traditional heat: Use pickled cherry peppers instead of Peppadews.
- Milder: Use banana peppers in place of cherry peppers.
- Oven-roasted thighs: Brown bone-in, skin-on thighs, then roast them with the sausage, peppers, pepperoncini and its brine and halved baby red potatoes at 400°F.
- Over pasta: Spoon it over angel hair pasta.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate: Put leftovers in shallow covered containers in the refrigerator within 2 hours and eat them within 3 to 4 days.
Freeze: Freeze for 3 to 4 months. The potatoes may turn a little soft after thawing.
Reheat: Reheat covered on the stove or in the microwave until it reaches 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve chicken Murphy hot over angel hair pasta, or on its own in shallow bowls with crusty bread to soak up every bit of the sauce. A simple green salad on the side rounds out the meal.
For more Italian-style chicken dinners, try Italian chicken pasta, a chicken mozzarella skillet, chicken Marsala casserole or creamy garlic chicken. For more pasta nights, make Italian drunken noodles or homemade spaghetti.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is chicken Murphy?
An Italian-American dish from New Jersey’s Jersey Shore: chicken and Italian sausage with peppers, onions, mushrooms and potatoes in a tangy sauce made with pickled peppers.
What peppers go in chicken Murphy?
Bell peppers plus pickled peppers. Pickled cherry peppers are traditional; this recipe uses sweet Peppadew peppers and their brine. Banana peppers are a milder swap.
What do you serve with chicken Murphy?
Angel hair pasta, or crusty bread for the sauce.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes. An oven-roasted take browns bone-in, skin-on thighs and roasts them with the sausage, peppers and potatoes at 400°F until the chicken reaches 165°F.
How long does chicken Murphy take?
About 65 minutes: 30 minutes of prep and 35 minutes of cooking.
Final Notes
Brown the meat first, reduce the wine until it is thick and syrupy, simmer the potatoes until just tender, and let the pickled peppers and their brine do the rest. If you make this chicken Murphy, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Chicken Murphy
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Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon, divided
- salt and black pepper to taste, plus 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper for the sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage casing removed
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 green bell pepper seeded, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms quartered
- 4 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup Peppadew pepper brine from the jar
- 1 russet potato cut into 3/4-inch dice
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup Peppadew peppers cut in half
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Season the chicken cubes generously with salt and pepper. Put 1/4 cup flour in a shallow bowl, dredge the chicken in it and shake off the excess.
- Heat the olive oil in a large high-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, then move it to a plate.
- Add the sausage and cook over medium heat, breaking it up, until browned and cooked through (160°F). Move it to the plate with the chicken. Take the pan off the heat and pour off all but enough fat to coat the bottom.
- Add the onion, red and green peppers, mushrooms and garlic and cook on medium for 6 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle in the remaining 1 tablespoon flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine, bring to a boil, then simmer briskly until it reduces to a thick, syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes.
- Add the Peppadew brine, chicken broth, potato, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, Italian seasoning and Peppadew peppers. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the butter, return the chicken and sausage, and cook until heated through, the chicken reaches 165°F and the potato edges begin to crumble. Sprinkle with parsley and serve, over angel hair pasta if you like.
Notes
Nutrition
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