Chicken Riggies

While there is a template on how to make chicken riggies, this dish allows you to get creative and have fun. For example, don’t have cherry peppers? Use Calabrian (seeds removed unless you love the heat!) or wax peppers instead. Prefer another white wine over sherry? That’s a-okay, too.

If you absolutely love this recipe, consider making extra sauce and meat and using it for stuffed shells or simply serving it up with crusty slices of bread.

Ingredients for Chicken Riggies

• Sherry: Produced in Spain, sherry is a fortified wine that’s popular as an aperitif and for cooking. While the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process, its deep flavor and aroma remains.
• Olive oil: It’s used in the marinade for the chicken, so choose an olive oil that you would eat simply drizzled on a salad—it’s important you enjoy its flavor!
• Garlic: Also used in the marinade, garlic adds a savory, pungent flavor. Feel free to use as much or as little as you’d like.
• Dried oregano: Although there are many varieties of oregano, you’re most likely to find Mexican and Greek oregano at your store. The former tends to have a stronger and more peppery flavor than the latter.
• Chicken: You may want to flatten the chicken into 1/4 inch thick pieces before adding it to the marinade. Doing this not only helps develop more flavor, but the chicken will likely yield a better texture when cooked.
• Rigatoni: This pasta shape is big, tubular and hearty. It’s ideal for pairing with chunky or meaty sauces.
• Butter: The butter is creamy, slightly sweet and nutty in flavor. But you can substitute it with olive oil or schmaltz.
• Bell pepper: Sweet and vegetal in taste, bell peppers also add a dose of color.
• Pickled cherry pepper: The potent and moderately spicy flavor of pickled cherry peppers will brighten and enhance the other ingredients in this dish.
• Onion: Many recipes begin with sauteed onion and for good reason! It’s a very aromatic and compatible veggie to pair with a variety of ingredients.
• Tomato puree: Tomatoes pack a lot of umami/savory flavor. San Marzano tomatoes are a perfect option for this recipe.
• Heavy whipping cream: The creamy and sweet profile of heavy cream makes a dish a whole lot more satisfying. You don’t need much of it to make a big difference.
• Cream cheese: This ingredient helps cohere the sauce and of course add flavor. If you prefer, you can use ricotta or mascarpone.
• Romano cheese: Made from sheep’s milk, Romano is often compared to parmesan but the two are meaningfully different. Romano is sharper in flavor and generally better for slicing, not grating.

Directions

Step 1: Marinate the chicken

In a large bowl, combine the sherry, oil, garlic and oregano. Add the chicken and coat it completely. Refrigerate for one to eight hours.

Editor’s tip: Flatten the chicken before you add it to the marinade, if desired.

Step 2: Cook the chicken

Place a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in batches and cook until no longer pink. Remove the chicken and allow it to rest.

Editor’s tip: Instead of discarding the marinade, use it to deglaze a pan or add it to a soup. Just make sure to use it within a day or two.

Step 3: Begin making the red sauce

Heat the butter over medium-high heat using the same pan. Add the chopped peppers, onion and minced garlic and cook until tender. Add the sherry and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the tomato puree, salt and pepper and return the sauce to a boil.

Step 4: Finish the red sauce

Reduce the heat and simmer for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. As the excess water evaporates the sauce will thicken slightly. Add the chicken back to the pot and heat through.

Step 5: Cook the riggies and make the cream sauce

Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni for one to two minutes, less than directed on its package. In a separate pan over medium heat, combine the cream and cream cheese. Melt the two together by stirring occasionally. Add the chicken to the cream sauce and stir in the Romano cheese.

Editor’s tip: Leaving the riggies slightly undercooked means that when you add the hot sauce to them, they’ll finish cooking and reach the perfect level of tenderness.

Step 6: Combine all the ingredients

Drain the rigatoni and return to its pot. Add the red sauce and coat thoroughly. Ladle in the cream and chicken, folding everything together.

Chicken Riggies Variations

• Make it meatier: Hot Italian pork sausage combines with chicken wonderfully, giving it an extra punch of flavor and aroma. You can also try chicken sausage or nduja.
• Add olives: Chicken riggies is an American recipe so it’s no surprise that black olives are the usual pick for this dish. That said, kalamata olives or even green olives are also popular.
• Add mushrooms: Earthy and savory, mushrooms are a common add-on to this recipe. Just make sure you choose a sturdy variety, like portobello, button or maitake mushrooms.

How to Store Chicken Riggies

First let any leftovers cool down to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container and place in your fridge for up to four days. If interested, learn about the best temperature to keep your fridge and a few other food storage techniques.

Can I freeze chicken riggies?

Once the leftovers are cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. When ready, allow the chicken riggies to thaw overnight in the freezer. You may notice the cream has separated from the sauce. This can be remedied by simply stirring the ingredients together as they reheat.

Chicken Riggies Tips

Who invented chicken riggies?

While its exact origin is unknown, it is certain that this recipe was first made in Utica, New York. This is why the dish is also referred to as Utica riggies. It’s said that truly authentic chicken riggies are made without cream, instead owing its signature color to wine and bunches of grated cheese.

How do you keep rigatoni from sticking together?

While there’s debate over whether to salt or not to salt the water, we suggest salting it. This is because salt actually helps the pasta to hold onto its starches as it cooks, making it less likely to stick together.

What is the secret to good tomato sauce?

Once the sauce has reached its initial boil, do make sure you reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. This helps the sauce to gradually develop its flavor and to evaporate any excess liquid. Also, consider making a proper fond on the bottom of the pot to add more depth to the sauce.