Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (2024)

This famous Italian-American pasta will rock your world! In Chicken Riggies, a thick tomato cream sauce smothers marinated chicken and veggie-rich rigatoni.

Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (1)

Chicken Riggies is the creation of upstate New York Italian immigrants, and it’s still quite popular in the area today.As with any great dish, experts create their own unique cooking variations. The base ingredients in this recipe are pretty constant.

The main elements are al dente rigatoni pasta, several varieties of chopped peppers, dry sherry, Italian seasoning, and marinated chicken. All are bathed in a luscious, rich, creamy tomato sauce.

This is the perfect dish for anniversaries, visits from the in-laws, and other special occasions. If this Utican dish has you in the mood for more East Coast fare, try chicken murphy, a Jersey Shore classic, or chicken scarpariello, another regional favorite!

I hope you’ll try my chicken alfredo recipe or my creamy Tuscan sausage pasta next!

Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (2)

What I Love Most About This Recipe:

  • The creamy tomato sauce is unparalleled.
  • I love a good mix of al dente pasta and sautéed veggies!
  • The marinade gives the chicken delicious Italian and garlic overtones.
  • It fills my house with wonderful smells!

Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (3)

What is Chicken Riggies?

You won’t be counting chicken riggies calories when you’re halfway through this amazing Italian-American pasta! Its primary components are chicken, rigatoni, and peppers, smothered in a creamy tomato sauce.

No one knows the exact origin story of the dish, but it was likely born in Utica, New York’s Sicilian immigrant community in the 1900’s.

Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (4)

Chicken Riggies Ingredients

Some people make simple buffalo chicken riggies, but I prefer my version of the sauce for its creaminess and complexity! My sauce calls for butter, dry sherry, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, salt, black pepper, heavy cream, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese.

It also contains a healthy quantity of veggies: diced red bell pepper, diced green bell pepper, chopped hot cherry peppers, diced yellow onion, and minced garlic. You will also need 16 oz. of rigatoni. This recipe sure beats plain old chicken riggies with jar sauce!

Unlike thepioneer woman’s recipe our marinade is made from dry sherry, olive oil, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning. The marinade is used to prepare two pounds of cubed boneless, skinless chicken breasts – ergo, this is no vegetarian chicken riggies recipe

Serving Recommendations

Chicken riggies goes great with a simple Italian side salad dressed with my balsamic vinaigrette, my fully loaded Mediterranean salad, roasted green beans (with pancetta and shallots!), or my simple roasted peppers.

It’s also delicious with my herb garlic bread, copycat Olive garden bread sticks, or garlic and herb Parker House rolls!

How To Make Chicken Riggies

Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (5)

  1. Marinade the chicken: Combine sherry, olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning in a resealable bag.
  2. Add chicken and seal the bag.
  3. Refrigerate for an hour.
  4. Cook the chicken: Drain the chicken and cook until there is no longer any pink.
  5. Make the sauce: Melt the butter. Saute red bell pepper, green bell pepper, cherry peppers, onion, and garlic.
  6. Pour 1 cup sherry into the pot and bring to a boil.
  7. Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and bring back to a boil.
  8. Add chicken to the sauce.
  9. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the sauce.
  10. Stir in Parmesan.
  11. Pour the sauce over the pasta and fold to evenly coat.
  12. Serve.

***See the full instructions below.

How to Store and Make Ahead

  • How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This recipe can sit happily in the fridge for up tofive days.
  • How To Freeze This Recipe: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 1-2 months. For best results, freeze without the pasta and prepare a fresh batch when the serving time comes!
  • Make-Ahead: Don’t prepare the pasta until you are ready to serve! The rest of the dish will be kept in the fridge for about three days. Just reheat on the stove when the time comes, boiling the pasta separately.
  • Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.

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Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

More Italian-Inspired Chicken Recipes

  • Italian Chicken Soup
  • Chicken Milanese
  • Balsamic Chicken
  • Chicken Florentine
  • Italian Dressing Chicken
  • Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
  • Chicken Lombardy
  • Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

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Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (6)

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Chicken Riggies

This famous Italian-American pasta will rock your world! In Chicken Riggies, a thick tomato cream sauce smothers marinated chicken and veggie-rich rigatoni.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

Marinade:

  • 1/2 cup dry sherry
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
  • 4 pickled hot cherry peppers, chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup dry sherry
  • 1 (4-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 16 ounces rigatoni, uncooked
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes and at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Combine sherry (1/2cup), 2 tablespoons olive oil, minced garlic (3cloves), and Italian seasoning (2teaspoons) in a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add chicken (2pounds) and seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Place the bag on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any possible leaks) and refrigerate for60 minutes.

  • Drain chicken and discard marinade.

  • Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot. Cook chicken, in batches, over medium-high heat until there is no longer any pink. Remove cooked chicken to a plate and set aside.

  • In the same pot, melt the butter (2tablespoons). Saute red bell pepper (1), green bell pepper (1/2), cherry peppers (4), onion (1medium), and garlic (4cloves) over low heat until soft, about 7-10 minutes.

  • Pour 1 cup sherry into the pot and bring to a boil. Add tomato paste (1 can), crushed tomatoes (1 can), salt (1/4teaspoon), and pepper (1/8teaspoon), and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly. Add chicken to the mixture.

  • Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni (16ounces) to al dente in a separate pot according to the package instructions.

  • Combine cream (1 1/2cups) and cream cheese (8ounces) in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until thecream and cream cheese and well combined and the cream cheese has melted. Pour into the chicken mixture. Stir in Parmesan (1 1/2cups).

  • Drain the pasta. Return the drained pasta to the pot. Pour the sauce over the pasta and fold to evenly coat. Serve.

Fans Also Made:

  • Baked Ziti With Mini Meatballs

  • Chicken Lombardy Recipe

  • Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken

  • Mostaccioli

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Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the recipe | Calories: 1134kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 60g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Cholesterol: 247mg | Sodium: 1067mg | Potassium: 1394mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 2700IU | Vitamin C: 80.9mg | Calcium: 430mg | Iron: 2.9mg

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I'D LOVE TO SEE!Tag @GonnaWantSeconds or #gonnawantseconds on Instagram!

© Gonna Want Seconds. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media/website/blog is strictly prohibited.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (12)Kathleen says

      Thank you so much, Becky! 🙂

      Reply

  1. Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (13)Lynn Sellin says

    The best chicken riggies ever!

    Reply

    • Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (14)Kathleen says

      Yaaay! Thank you, Lynn!

      Reply

  2. Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (15)Rebecca says

    Everyone in my family loves this.

    Reply

    • Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (16)Kathleen says

      Yaaay! Thanks, Rebecca 🙂 I’m glad this was a hit!

      Reply

  3. Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (17)rebecca janssen says

    Everyone in my family loves this. Had others tell me better than getting it at a restaurant.

    Reply

    • Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (18)Kathleen says

      Wow, that’s amazing! I’m so happy it’s a hit! Thanks, Rebecca 🙂

      Reply

  4. Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (19)Colleen says

    So glad I found this! I added Another cup of heavy cream and it was perfect ❤️

    Reply

    • Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (20)Kathleen says

      Thank you, Colleen! 🙂

      Reply

  5. Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (21)Vicki says

    AWESOME! The only thing is it makes way more sauce for 1 box of rigatoni. I would add more chicken & another 1,/2 box of rigatoni & enjoy the left overs. For now I am freezing the left over sauce.

    Reply

    • Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (22)Kathleen says

      Hi Vicki! Glad to hear you enjoyed it! 😀

      Reply

    • Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (23)Leigh says

      Can’t wait to try this as the recipe is. Will add some warm rolls on the side to stop up the extra sauce 😉 just an idea

      Reply

      • Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (24)Kathleen says

        Enjoy, Leigh! Let us know how it turns out 🙂

        Reply

Leave a Reply

Chicken Riggies {Italian-American Recipe} Gonna Want Seconds (2024)

FAQs

What is chicken riggie sauce made of? ›

Chicken riggies is made with a spiced creamy tomato-based sauce. It comes together with a can of crushed tomatoes and heavy cream that gets stirred in towards the end of cooking to thicken the sauce and add richness, which slightly tempers the heat of the hot cherry peppers.

Is Chicken Riggies a New York thing? ›

Chicken riggies or Utica riggies is an Italian-American pasta dish native to the Utica-Rome area of New York State.

Why are they called chicken riggies? ›

Many agree the original recipe didn't have heavy cream, but what gave it a creamy texture was a lot of grated cheese, Doti said. As far as the name goes, Doti believes it came from customers repeating chicken rigatoni so much, the name was shortened to riggies.

Who made the first chicken Riggies? ›

The now-closed Chesterfield restaurant credited itself with inventing chicken riggies in 1989. But, chef Michael Geno says it happened a full decade before that, in 1979. In an interview with local radio station WIBX, Geno says he was working at the Italian restaurant Clinton House, which was located in a Utica suburb.

What is pink sauce actually called? ›

Italian pink sauce is one of the most simple sauces to prepare for seasoning any type of pasta (also called Rose or Parma Rosa Sauce). You can prepare it in only 20 minutes, so it makes it a perfect option for a fast yet super yummy lunch or dinner.

Where did chicken riggies originate? ›

It typically consists of chicken, rigatoni pasta, and hot and sweet peppers, all cooked in a creamy tomato sauce loaded with grated cheese. It's a crave-able comfort food with big, bold flavors. The exact origin of the dish is a bit unclear, but it is believed to have been created in the Utica-Rome area in the '80s.

What is New York's signature food? ›

Keep Exploring
  • New York pizza slice. Out of all the foods associated with New York, perhaps none is more famous than pizza. ...
  • New York cheesecake. ...
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Jan 4, 2023

What is New York signature dish? ›

New York-Style Pizza

You can't think of New York food without one thing coming to mind: pizza! The first pizzeria in the country, Lombardi's, was opened in Manhattan's Little Italy in 1905. It's been a Big Apple staple ever since.

How many calories is chicken riggies? ›

Calories in Chicken Riggies
Calories310.4
Total Carbohydrate28.3 g
Dietary Fiber3.0 g
Sugars4.4 g
Protein25.5 g
8 more rows

What do they call butter chicken in England? ›

One of these is a style of chicken which is known as butter chicken in India and chicken tikka masala in the UK. The inventors of these two dishes came from what is today Pakistan. Chicken tikka masala is made of chicken that has been roasted and then served in a rich curry “sauce”.

What is butter chicken called in London? ›

It's called Butter Chicken. It's quite similar to Chicken Tikka Masala but it's not the same. Butter Chicken. Butter Chicken is the English name for Murgh Makhani.

How do you reheat chicken riggies? ›

Preheat the oven to 350F. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with either water or chicken broth and then add the chicken on top. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and cook for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Make sure the internal temperature is 165F before serving.

What was the first country to make chicken? ›

The chicken is a descendant of the Southeast Asian red jungle fowl first domesticated in India around 2000 B.C. Most of the birds raised for meat in America today are from the Cornish (a British breed) and the White Rock (a breed developed in New England).

Where was chicken Vesuvio created? ›

The origins of the dish are unknown, but some suggest it might have been popularized by the Vesuvio Restaurant, which operated at 15 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago, in the 1930s.

What type of sauce is made from meat or poultry juices? ›

Gravy is a sauce, but one that is specifically made from meat juices. Gravies are usually combined with some form of liquid, like chicken broth, milk, wine, or beef broth, before being introduced to a thickening agent like flour or cornstarch.

What is walnut chicken sauce made from? ›

In a bowl of a food processor or a blender combine walnuts, cilantro, chillies, garlic, lemon juice and ½ cup of chicken stock and process until you have a smooth paste. Set aside. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and brown seasoned with salt and pepper chicken pieces on both sides over medium heat.

What is chicken majestic made of? ›

Preparation to make majestic chicken

Wash and cut chicken to strips to around 2 ½ inches length. Soak them in buttermilk and salt for at least 20 mins if deep frying. Keep for 2 to 4 hours if you wish to pan fry or bake. Drain up the buttermilk and add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, corn flour and red chili powder.

What is butter chicken made of? ›

What Is Butter Chicken? Butter chicken is prepared with marinated chicken that's first grilled and then served in a rich gravy (a.k.a. curry) made with tomato, butter, and a special spice blend as a base.

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