Best Chicken Rigatoni Recipe
Ah, rigatoni. You know those noodles; they are bigger than penne and ziti with ridged sides and a straight cut across the backs? If you aren’t familiar with rigatoni, you soon will be after making this amazing recipe for chicken rigatoni.
Since making this Chicken Rigatoni, otherwise known as Chicken Riggies, recipe two weeks ago, I have not been able to get it out of my head! I think I may have shed a tear or two when the leftovers were gone. I mean, wow.
Everything about this Italian recipe was so incredibly good, I will definitely use it as a “company” type of dish. The presentation on this is great. I think my Italian grandmother would even enjoy it!
Chicken Rigatoni Recipe
This isn’t a last minute weeknight kind of meal. For this chicken rigatoni recipe, you will really need to plan ahead. The chicken needs to marinade for one hour first. I know, I know. No one wants to fiddle with marinating but I promise it will make a tasty difference. Trust me: this chicken recipe is worth it. Want another? Take a look at my slow cooker Italian chicken and rice recipe. It’s tasty.
Marinating isn’t exactly hard. Really, you could even do that part of it first thing in the morning or even the night before to make it easy (and to know it gets done). No matter when you decide to marinade the chicken, just please do it. You’ll thank me later. Honest.
Rigatoni is a southern (and central) Italian thing. Funny thing is–so was my family. Or probably still is. I assume there are Sandroni’s (also spelled Sandrone’s) who didn’t make the big move.
Chicken riggies, however, is a New York dish which leads to its other name: Utica riggies. It was probably concocted by Italian-Americans. Although everyone has their own take on it, chicken riggies usually involves cream and peppers. It may also be a more recent creation, as in 1980s kind of recent, but that’s hard to say.
Easy Italian Food Substitutes
We’ve got a four year old in the house. He’s not quite old enough to be ready for the heat of spicy foods so I made the executive decision to leave out the pickled hot cherry peppers. I think that was probably a wise choice. I also left out the sweet red and green peppers. As much as I love green peppers, I just don’t care to have them in my pasta sauces. Weird, but there you go.
Are you missing the Romano cheese? Parmesan or Asiago cheese make easy substitutes. One key thing to keep in mind: do not overcook the pasta! If you do, it will fold in on itself. You don’t want that. The delicious sauce can’t pour into it then. Set a timer and don’t forget.
Serve this incredible chicken rigatoni recipe with my favorite homemade French bread recipe (it’s so amazing I don’t care that it’s not Italian!), add in a side salad, and you’ve got quite an appealing menu.
Use the search bar at the top of the page to look for some of my easy homemade salad dressing recipes too. I found this recipe in my Taste of Home magazine.
Chicken Rigatoni Recipe
Chicken Rigatoni Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Dry Sherry
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 2 lbs. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, Cubed
Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 each Medium Sweet Red and Green Pepper, Chopped (I didn't use)
- 4 Pickled Hot Cherry Peppers, Chopped (I didn't use)
- 1 Medium Onion, Chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
- 1 Cup Dry Sherry
- 2 Cans (one 29 oz., one 15 oz.) Tomato Puree
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/8 teaspoon Pepper
- 2 Packages (16 oz. each) Uncooked Rigatoni
- 1 1/2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- 6 oz. Cream Cheese, Cut Up
- 1 1/2 Cups Grated Romano Cheese
Instructions
- In large, resealable plastic bag, combine Sherry, Oil, Garlic, and Oregano. Add Chicken, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate one hour.
- Drain Chicken, discarding marinade.
- Heat a dutch oven over Medium-High heat. Add Chicken in batches, cook and stir until no longer pink.
- In same pan, heat Butter over Medium-High heat. Add Peppers, Onion, and Garlic. Cook and stir until tender.
- Add Sherry and bring to a boil.
- Stir in Tomato Puree, salt, and pepper. Return to a boil.
- Reduce heat. Simmer 8-10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir occasionally.
- Meanwhile, in a stockpot, cook Rigatoni according to package directions.
- In a small saucepan, combine Cream and Cream Cheese over Medium heat. Cook and stir until blended.
- Add to Chicken mixture and stir in Romano cheese.
- Drain Rigatoni, return to stockpot.
- Toss sauce with pasta.
- Serve!
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Rigatoni Recipe
Serves:
|
Amount Per Serving: 12
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 658 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 28 g | 43.1% | |
| Saturated Fat | 0 | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 | |
| Sodium | 0 | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0 | |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 | |
| Sugars | ||
| Protein | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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