Utica Chicken Riggies
Rigatoni tossed with chicken, sweet and hot peppers in a creamy tomato sauce — a signature dish of the Italian-American community in Utica.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 620 kcal
Equipment
- •Large skillet
- •Pasta pot
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 620 kcal
- fat
- 30
- carbs
- 56
- protein
- 34
- calories
- 620
Instructions
- 1
Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the rigatoni until tender with a bite. Drain, saving a cup of pasta water.
- 2
Season the chicken and brown it in olive oil over medium-high heat until cooked through. Set the chicken aside.
- 3
In the same skillet, saute the onion and bell peppers until softened. This takes about 6–8 minutes.
- 4
Add the hot cherry peppers, brine, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute more.
- 5
Pour in the crushed tomatoes. Simmer gently for 10 minutes so the flavors blend.
- 6
Stir in the heavy cream and return the chicken to the skillet. Simmer gently until the sauce turns rosy and thickens slightly.
- 7
Toss the drained rigatoni into the sauce. Stir in some of your saved pasta water if needed to loosen it.
- 8
Stir in the Pecorino Romano and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Chef's tips
Adjust the heat level by controlling how many hot cherry peppers you add — Utica cooks argue endlessly over the right ratio of sweet to hot.
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; the sauce thickens further when chilled.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of cream or milk to loosen the sauce back up.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overcooking the rigatoni, since it continues cooking briefly once tossed with the hot sauce.
- •Skipping the hot cherry peppers entirely, which removes the dish's signature kick.
- •Letting the cream sauce boil hard, which can cause it to separate.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Utica Chicken Riggies?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
More from New York
Cooking that shares the same kitchen and pantry.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
