New York's Chicken Riggies Recipe Is a Pasta Dinner Worth Cheering For (35 Minutes) by Donna John

New York is in the spotlight right now with their Yankees being in the World Series™. When it comes to food in New York, you may immediately think of hot dogs, bagels and New York-style pizza. But there's an iconic pasta dish hiding in New York that you may not have ever heard of: chicken riggies.

Chicken riggies, also called Utica riggies, is an Italian-American pasta dish from Utica, New York. The dish is made with rigatoni, chicken and sweet or hot peppers in a creamy, spicy tomato sauce. It is said that this local favorite is hard to find outside a 20-mile radius of Utica. If a trip there is not in your near future, we found a chicken riggies recipe you can make at home in about 35 minutes!

To make this pasta recipe you will need to grab the following ingredients: rigatoni, olive oil, boneless chicken breasts, onion, bell peppers (check out the health benefits of bell peppers), hot or sweet pickled peppers, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, white wine, tomato sauce or puree, Parmesan cheese and optional fresh basil for serving.

This spicy, creamy chicken pasta makes a delicious dinner served with a salad or hot bread.

Cuisine: American / Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 16 ounces rigatoni
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 3/4 hot or sweet pickled peppers, chopped (see Recipe Notes)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• fresh basil, for serving

Recipe Notes

• You could use tomato puree instead of tomato sauce.

• Jarred cherry peppers are typically the pepper of choice for chicken riggies. If you can't find cherry peppers, banana peppers, peppadew or jalapenos could be used.

• While rigatoni is traditional, you could use penne, rotini or your favorite short pasta.

• Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Here's how to make it: 

1. Cook the rigatoni according to package directions for al dente. Drain and save 1 cup of the pasta water. 
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Do not crowd the pan. Cook in batches if necessary. Remove to a plate.
3. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the peppers and sweet/hot peppers. Cook, stirring often, about 5 more minutes. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook about 30 seconds. 
4. Add the wine and stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine reduce for about 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and gently simmer about 5 to 6 minutes. 
5. Put the chicken back into the pan. Heat through about 2 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan until melted. Season with salt and black pepper, if desired. 
6. Put the cooked pasta into the pan along with 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Stir until combined, about 2 minutes. Add more pasta water to reach your desired consistency. 
7. Serve the pasta with more Parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh basil. 

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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