Chicken Riggies

A bad neighbor is a misfortune, as much as a good one is a blessing. ~ Hesiod

Chicken Riggies or Utica Riggies is an Italian-American pasta dish native to the Utica-Rome area of New York State. It's a dish usually consisting of chicken, rigatoni and hot or sweet peppers in a spicy cream and tomato sauce, although many variations exist.  And, talk about delicious!  My good friend and neighbor Carol introduced me to Chicken Riggies and let me tell you, the first time I had them I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  I doubt that mine are as good as hers but, I had to try.  They're just too good NOT to make.

The recipe calls for certain types of peppers but feel free to use the peppers you like most.  For example. I couldn't find the hot cherry tomatoes tonight so I used the sweet.  The dish didn't have as much spice, but it was tasty just the same.  That's one of the things I love about cooking...there's all kinds of room to get creative.

Chicken Riggies

1 lb rigatoni (the riggies)
1 lb chicken tenders (1 package)
salt & pepper to taste
3 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 large or 3 small cubanelle peppers, seeded and chopped
3 roasted red peppers, chopped
6 hot cherry peppers pickled in jar (use the sweet cherry peppers if you don't like heat)
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)
1/3-1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup basil (about 10 leaves), thinly sliced

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the "riggies." Salt water and cook the rigatoni to al dente. Heads up: you will need to reserve about 1 1/2 cups of cooking water just before you drain the pasta.  If you forget, like I usually do, use chicken stock or white wine, but reduce to about a cup.  Chop chicken into bite-size pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add chicken to hot pan and brown all over, about 7-8 minutes, then remove.

Add onions, 3-4 cloves of garlic and cubanelle peppers to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and cook 6-7 minutes to soften, then add the roasted red peppers.Cut the tops off the hot peppers and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Chop the hot peppers and add them to the skillet. Stir in tomatoes and add chicken back to the skillet. Bring the sauce to a bubble, then stir in some starchy cooking water from the pasta – about one cup. Add 1/3-1/2 cup cream. Reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer a couple of minutes.   Add pasta and 1/2 cup cheese and toss to combine.

This recipe will make a lot of riggies, so you should have plenty for lunch the next day.  Or, you can freeze some of what's leftover for another day.