Spicy Chicken Riggies Recipe

When you're looking to mix up your weekly pasta game, you might want to give these spicy chicken riggies a try. And if you haven't heard of chicken riggies before? Don't worry, you're not alone. "This is a dish I hadn't heard of until recently since it's local to Utica, New York, but I'm going to make it all the time now because it has all of my favorite things in it," says recipe developer Jessica Morone. "There's nothing better to me than pasta with chicken and a creamy red pepper sauce. It's a little bit spicy, but not overwhelming, and the peppers just give it such a good flavor." 

The best part about chicken riggies is that it's quick and easy to make, even with the homemade sauce, so you can have it served in roughly 45 minutes. Morone says to pair it with salad or bread, and if you're looking to add a drink to the menu, she says you can't go wrong with a dry white wine. 

The ingredients you'll need for chicken riggies are standard poultry pasta fare. In fact, you might have most of them in your kitchen already, so do an inventory before you head to the grocery store. 

For this "very typical" take on the New York classic, Morone says you'll need rigatoni pasta (the riggies in the recipe's name), olive oil, boneless and skinless chicken breast, salt, pepper, red bell pepper, yellow onion, minced garlic, a can of crushed tomatoes, sliced and drained hot cherry peppers, and heavy cream. You may also want Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley to serve with your finished dish. 

Start by cooking your pasta. Add water and salt to a large pot and bring it to a boil. Tip in the pasta and cook it according to the instructions on the packaging — rigatoni is a thicker pasta, so it may require a little more time than standard spaghetti. When it's cooked al dente, drain the pasta and set it aside. 

Meanwhile, place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add half of the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the pieces of chicken to the pan and sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper to season. Cook the meat thoroughly, stirring occasionally. When it's done, transfer the chicken to a separate dish and set it aside. You'll be using the same skillet for the following steps. 

"Traditionally this is a chicken dish, but there's nothing stopping you from trying another protein, or leaving out the protein completely and just having a vegetarian dish," suggests Morone. 

Return the skillet to the stove and add the remaining olive oil, along with the bell pepper, onion, garlic, and the remaining salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are soft, stirring all the while to prevent them from burning. This should take about 5-6 minutes. 

When the vegetables are cooked, you're ready to make the creamy coating for the pasta. "What makes this sauce different is that rather than just being a regular tomato sauce, this is filled with flavor from the peppers, and the cream makes it really rich," Morone says. 

Add the crushed tomatoes and cherry peppers to the skillet and bring them to a simmer. Stir as the liquids cook down and the sauce thickens up before adding the cream to the pan. Mix everything well and remove the skillet from the burner.

 The dish is now almost ready to serve. Simply stir the chicken and pasta into the sauce until fully coated, then sprinkle with Parmesan and fresh parsley, if desired. Grab plates for 6 to 8, and enjoy.