Chicken Riggies Recipe
Chicken Riggies is a comforting Italian-American pasta dish from Utica, New York. It's a regional specialty with chicken, sweet bell peppers, and hot cherry peppers tossed with rigatoni pasta in a spicy tomato cream sauce. The ultimate, flavor-filled pasta dish!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rigatoni pasta
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1½ teaspoon salt divided
- 1 teaspoon Ground black pepper divided
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion sliced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and sliced
- 2-6 hot cherry peppers
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Boil the pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted water until al dente, then drain and set aside.
- Combine the raw chicken pieces, one tablespoon of olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper in a medium bowl.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in a single, non-overlapping layer - approximately one minute per side or until golden. Cook the chicken in two batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the skillet. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Melt the butter in the same skillet, then add the onion and red bell pepper and cook until they start to soften (about 5 minutes). Stir in the hot cherry peppers, garlic, tomato paste, remaining salt & pepper, and oregano. Cook for one minute then stir in the tomato sauce and white wine.
- Increase the heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and stir in the heavy cream.
- Allow the sauce to reach a gentle simmer - but do not boil. Stir in the chicken and cooked pasta and cook for 2-3 minutes or until everything is mixed well and heated through.
- Serve garnished with parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
Leftovers: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 738kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Sodium: 1268mg | Potassium: 854mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2150IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 2mg
