Chicken Murphy Recipe

Our Chicken Murphy is an Italian-inspired favorite that includes a delightful mix of diced chicken, Italian sausage, peppers, and potatoes combined with a divine sauce made of stock, wine, and pepper brine. It is served over a bed of angel hair pasta. Perfect for gathering your family around the table for Sunday Supper!

Now, you might think that this Chicken Murphy doesn’t sound like an Italian recipe at first glance, but I can assure you that it’s at least Italian-American.  

That counts…doesn’t it?

Recipes that fall into this category have been shaped throughout history by various waves of immigrants and their children, called Italian Americans. These immigrants settled throughout different regions of the United States and brought with them a distinct regional Italian flair.

If you love bold, restaurant-style Italian chicken dinners, I hope you’ll try my Chicken Scarpariello, Chicken Vesuvio, and Chicken Milanese next — or browse all my favorites in this Chicken Dinner Recipes collection.

And boy, we’re sooooo glad they did!

What is Chicken Murphy?

The “Murphy” portion of the recipe is the potatoes, and with the Italian sausage and peppadew peppers, this Jersey Shore classic will quickly become a family favorite. There’s something about the combination – it’s like a flavor trifecta!

You will find yourself making it your go-to meal when dinner calls for something special and you have a little extra time to spend making it.    And because it’s prepared in one pot – with meats, sides, and veggies included – cleanup is quick and easy.

Think about it – how can you go wrong with combining chicken, sausage, and potatoes in one dish?

Doesn’t adding sausage make anything better?  

The addition of the peppery brown gravy pulls together a dinner that will leave them yearning for more. The sweet and sour flavor elements the peppadews bring to the dish are over-the-top delicious!

What Are The Origins Of Chicken Murphy?

While some people think the recipe is a spinoff of Papa Murphy’s chicken bacon artichoke pizza, it’s not.  And no, it’s not even a version of Papa Murphy’s chicken garlic pizza. In fact, the origin of Chicken Murphy is a bit cloudy—it’s supposedly named after a cook, a waiter, or a customer named Murphy.

It typically includes chicken breast, either breaded (like Chicken Francaise) or unbreaded, sautéed with hot pickled peppers, potatoes, and Italian sausage.

Even though we couldn’t find a Chicken Murphy wiki, it’s one of those dishes whose origin can be traced to Italian-American restaurants, mainly in New Jersey.

Chicken Murphy is a more brown sauce-centric variation of the sausage and peppers that is fairly common to tailgate party cuisine.

For people who want some delicious Chicken Murphy, New Jersey is the place to go! Many foodies feel that the Chicken Murphy recipe Belmont Tavern uses is the best they’ve ever had. The tavern never changes, doesn’t take reservations, only accepts cash, and could be from a scene in The Sopranos. Locals who grew up in the area and then moved to the suburbs come back year after year.

Chicken Murphy Recipe Ingredients

• Potatoes: For this recipe, the potatoes are cooked in the broth, at the end, until tender.  Russets are the potato of choice for this recipe because they help to thicken the sauce. For the Chicken Scarpariello, fingerling potatoes are tossed with olive oil and S&P and roasted in the oven.
• Chicken: Chicken Murphy uses boneless breasts cut into cubes, while Chicken Scarpariello uses bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.
• Sausage: Both use Italian sausage with the casings removed, but I think the Chicken Scarpariello works better with the sweet version.
• Aromatics: Both use aromatics – onion, garlic, bell pepper – but Chicken Murphy also incorporates mushrooms.
• Sauce: Both use white wine, chicken broth, and pepper brine to rescue the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan and make some mighty yummy pan sauce.
• Peppers: Both use peppadew peppers and their brine. They’re a branded pepper originally discovered in South Africa. They are cherry tomato–size, and are often available hulled, seeded, and pickled in brine. You can find them at specialty grocery stores and online stores. If you can’t find them, cherry peppers are the best substitute.

Chicken Murphy Recipe Notes

• Bring the heat (or not): Most restaurants in New Jersey make this dish with cherry peppers.
  • This creates a dish that is fairly spicy, so if you’re a fan of heat, cherry peppers may not be best for your taste.
  • My family prefers a little less heat, so I make this with Peppadew peppers. They are available in both hot and mild varieties.
  • I find both varieties less spicy than the cherry peppers and the peppadews combine just the right mild kick with a lovely sweetness that adds a fabulous taste dimension.
• Pick your pasta: Since Chicken Murphy isn’t typically served with enough sauce to dress even half a pound of cooked pasta, I like to serve mine on a bed of cooked pasta generously tossed with olive oil and garlic.
  • Angel hair or penne are my favorites for this dish because the flavors complement each other perfectly to make a complete meal.
• Potatoes: This recipe requires using Russet potatoes because they break down and thicken the sauce.
  • Be sure to cut them into small, uniform pieces. If you cut them into large chunks, you’ll have to extend the cooking time. 
• Season generously: When you begin, remember to generously season the chicken cubes with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour, before shaking off the excess. Don’t skip the salt and pepper at this step.
• Ditch the fat: Because the sausage renders a good amount of fat, you’ll need to pour off all but 2 tablespoons before adding the onions, red and green bell peppers, and mushrooms.
• Wine rules:  When adding your favorite white wine, remember, if you won’t drink it, don’t cook with it!  

What’s the difference between Chicken Murphy and Chicken Scarpariello?

Chicken Scarpariello is believed to have originated in New York. “Scarpiello,” in Italian, means “shoemaker or shoe fixer.” There are a couple of thoughts on how this dish got its name—the first idea is that it refers to “shoemaker style,” meaning that it is a meager dish.

Made with sweet peppers in a light wine sauce, this Italian-American chicken recipe is a great poultry dish. Although there are many variations, the recipe is almost always made with just a handful of ingredients and a ton of flavor.

Just like the Chicken Murphy, the Chicken Scarpariello is elegant enough for a special occasion but works just as well for a midweek treat. Although it’s basically a complete meal, you’ll definitely want to have some crusty bread nearby to dunk in the leftover sauce!

How To Make Chicken Murphy?

This dish involves starting everything in a Dutch oven or a large, high-sided skillet and simmering it together to blend the flavors, reduce the liquid, and thicken the sauce.

Easy enough, right?

Chicken Murphy in brown sauce uses flour to thicken the deliriously delicious stock, wine, and brine combination. While the potatoes already provide a carbohydrate, I prefer to serve it over angel hair pasta with a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley. I mean, can you really ever have too many carbs?

We like to call it Chicken Murphy pasta!

How To Make Baked Chicken Murphy?

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Simply bake potatoes in the microwave or boil them whole until mostly done. Slice them into large chunks and put them into a large roasting pan.
2. Brown the sausage before marrying it with the potatoes. Dredge chicken pieces in the flour mixture and brown them in the same skillet. Remove them and add them to the sausage mixture in a roasting pan.
3. Sauté your aromatics and add to the roasting pan. Follow the same preparation steps as the original version and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

More Chicken Deliciousness

• Chicken Française
• Smothered Chicken
• Chicken Florentine
• Chicken Riggies
• Marry Me Chicken Tortellini
• Chicken Lombardy
• Chicken Milanese
• Chicken Florentine Soup

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Chicken Murphy Recipe

Chicken Murphy overflows with Italian sausage, chicken, peppers, and a wine sauce that coats everything in deliciousness! Restaurant flavor with easy prep!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound chicken cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• ▢ 1/4 cup (plus 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour divided
• ▢ to taste salt
• ▢ to taste pepper
• ▢ 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
• ▢ 1 russet potatoes 3/4 inch diced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1 cup peppadew peppers cut in half
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 2 tablespoons parsley chopped

Instructions

• Season chicken cubes generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Add 1/4 cup All-Purpose flour to a shallow bowl and dredge chicken pieces in flour, shaking off excess.
• Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil, in a large high sided skillet or Dutch oven, over medium heat then add floured chicken and brown on both sides. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Add sausage to skillet and cook, over medium heat until its just browned. Remove sausage to the plate containing chicken and set aside. Remove skillet from heat and pour off all but enough fat to just coat the bottom of the pan.
• Add onions, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook on medium for 6-7 minutes. Sprinkle skillet with remaining 1 tablespoon flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add white wine, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer vigorously, until the wine has reduced to a thick, syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes. 
• Add peppadew brine, chicken stock, russet potato, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, Italian seasoning, and Peppadew Peppers. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered until potatoes just tender, about 20 minutes. 
• Stir in butter and add browned chicken and sausage and cook until heated through and edges of potatoes are slightly crumbling. Serve over cooked angel hair pasta. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the recipe | Calories: 883kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 59g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 1408mg | Potassium: 1660mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1772IU | Vitamin C: 128mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 5mg

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