Chicken Riggies

Subbing ricotta for heavy cream worked okay but it was a little gritty

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced

  • 1 white onion, sliced

  • 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced

  • 1/2 cup white wine

  • 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce

  • 1 cup sliced roasted red peppers

  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

  • 1 stick unsalted butter

  • 12 leaves fresh basil, plus more to garnish

  • 4 hot vinegar cherry peppers

  • 1 pound dry rigatoni pasta

  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1.Warm a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat with vegetable oil. While the pan is heating, chop the chicken breasts into 1-inch sized cubes, season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Dust off the excess flour and set the chicken aside. Once the oil begins to slightly smoke, gently place seasoned and dredged chicken into the pan and brown (about 2 minutes per side). Once the chicken is browned, remove from the pan and reserve.

2.To the remaining oil in the pot, add the olive oil and reduce the heat to medium. Place sliced garlic in the pot and cook until aromatic and lightly golden brown.

3.Next, add in the sliced onions and cook until soft and translucent (the moisture from the onions will stop the browning of the garlic and help get all the brown bits off the bottom of the pot). Once the onions are soft, add in the button mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes.

4.Deglaze the pot with white wine and cook 5 to 7 minutes to cook off the alcohol and raw wine flavor. Pour in the jarred marinara, sliced roasted red peppers and diced tomatoes, and simmer for 10 minutes to develop the flavors and achieve desired consistency.

5.Add the browned chicken back to the pot and finish cooking the chicken in the sauce. Finish the sauce with heavy cream, butter, basil and vinegar peppers (add more peppers if you want a spicier dish).

6.While the sauce is simmering, boil the rigatoni and cook according to the directions on the package. Once the pasta is fully cooked, strain and to finished sauce and stir to completely coat the pasta with the sauce. Finish with grated Parmesan cheese, garnish with fresh basil and serve.