Chicken Riggies

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!

If you love creamy tomato-based pasta dishes like pasta alla vodka, you will love this delicious chicken riggies recipe.

Popular in the Central New York region of the United States, particularly around the Utica/Rome areas, it’s a hearty, comforting dish that combines chicken, rigatoni pasta, and a spicy cream and tomato sauce. It’s a personal favorite.

Super easy to make, it comes together in less than an hour – prep and cook time included! If your family is sensitive to spicy foods, you can control the spiciness by reducing or omitting the total number of spicy peppers in the sauce. Some versions even include onions and mushrooms.

Main Ingredients in Utica Chicken Riggies

• Chicken: Bite-size chicken breast is the usual choice, but boneless skinless chicken thighs make a flavorful alternative. The chicken is usually sautéed until golden brown and cooked through before being added to the sauce.
• Rigatoni Pasta: A type of tube-shaped pasta. Alternatives, like penne, can also be used.
• Hot and Sweet Peppers: A combination of sweet sliced or chopped red bell peppers and hot peppers are added. Hot cherry peppers provide the signature spiciness and can be adjusted to taste or omitted for a milder sauce.
• Onion and Garlic: The aromatic base.
• Tomato Sauce: Or crushed tomatoes – they are used as the base for the sauce.
• Heavy Cream: Creates a creamy, rich sauce. Half-and-half will make for a lighter sauce but will not taste as delicious (in my opinion).
• White Wine: Adding dry white wine adds lovely flavor, but it’s completely optional. Should you choose not to add any white wine, replace it with chicken broth.
• Herbs and Spices: Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, or a combination. Salt and black pepper are added to taste.

How to Make Chicken Riggies

1. Cook the Rigatoni Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente – overcooking may result in soggy, broken pasta.

• Tip – Reserve 1-2 cups of boiling pasta water to loosen the sauce at the end of cooking.

2. Chop and Season the Chicken: Chop the chicken into small bite-sized pieces. Transfer to a large bowl and combine with one tablespoon of olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper.

3. Sauté the Chicken: Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in a single, non-overlapping layer for approximately 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked. Cook the chicken in two batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the skillet. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.

4. Make the Sauce: Return the skillet to medium heat. Melt the butter, add the sliced onion and red bell peppers, and cook until they soften. 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. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

5. Add the Heavy Cream: Reduce the heat to low. Slowly stir in the heavy cream. Gently simmer – but do not boil.

6. Add the Chicken and Cooked Pasta: Stir in the chicken and cooked pasta and cook for 2-3 minutes or until everything is mixed well and heated through.

7. Garnish: Serve garnished with grated Pecorino Romano cheese, if desired. If the sauce starts to “dry” or thicken, stir in a bit of reserve pasta water to loosen the sauce.

How to Serve Chicken Riggies

Chicken Riggies is a flavorful and delicious dish on its own, but paired with a side or two, it makes for a complete and satisfying meal. A few of my family’s favorites include a garden salad with a light vinaigrette, buttery garlic bread, focaccia, and steamed or roasted veggies.

Storing Leftover Chicken Riggies

As with most cream-based pasta recipes, chicken riggies taste best just after mixing the sauce with the pasta and chicken. If you have leftovers, however, allow them to cool to room temperature before transferring to airtight containers and storing them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Freezing is not recommended.

To reheat leftovers, you can use the microwave or the stovetop set over low heat. If the sauce has thickened too much, add chicken broth, water, or heavy cream until it reaches your desired consistency.

More Italian-American Recipes

• Italian Beef Sandwich
• Italian Wedding Soup
• Chicken Vesuvio Recipe
• Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Beans)

If you try making this Chicken Riggies Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.