Best Chicken Riggies Recipe – How To Make Utica Chicken Riggies At Home?

Chicken Riggies Recipe: It is a pasta dish filled with chicken flavor and others. These chicken riggies or Utica riggies are an original dish from the Utica Rome area of New York. The recipe is traditionally made with rigatoni so they are called riggies.

Chicken riggies are easy to make, creamy, spicy and delicious too. It combines rigatoni, boneless and skinless chicken thighs with hot cherry and bell peppers in a cream sauce. This comforting dinner recipe can be made in different variations. Here we are providing everything you need to know about the copycat chicken riggies.

Chicken Riggies

Best Utica Chicken Riggies Recipe

Chicken Riggies is a special dish from Utica in New York. Riggies pasta is paired well with chicken and spicy peppers in a creamy sauce. It can be topped with fresh basil for the best taste. Once you try this delicious pasta, then you will never say no to it.

We need exactly 40 minutes for making these fabulous chicken riggies. The nutrition information, making steps and other useful details about this copycat chicken riggies are mentioned in the below sections.

Required Ingredients for Chicken Riggies

The list of needed ingredients for making the tasty chicken riggies are listed here. Try to collect all of them in the mentioned proportions before going to start your recipe.

  • 1/4 cup olive oil: You can also use butter to give the fat to the dish.
  • 1 lb rigatoni pasta: It is a must ingredient for making the recipe. Rigatoni is a chewy, hardy pasta making the dish super tasty.
  • 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs: Boneless chicken thighs are also the primary ingredient for the recipe.
  • 8 cloves chopped garlic
  • 2 sliced red bell peppers
  • 5 medium cherry peppers
  • 1 cup heavy cream: It gives flavor and richness and also makes every bite creamy and silky.
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 8 ounces Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 1(28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups pasta water
  • 1/2 cup Pecorino Romance cheese
  • 1/4 cup basil leaves

How To Prepare Copycat Chicken Riggies Recipe?

Following given are the simple directions to prepare chicken riggies at your home. Go through the steps and make the recipe easily.

  • Add olive oil or butter to a large pot and heat on a medium-high flame.
  • Once the oil gets heated, add the boneless and skinless chicken pieces to the pot and cook them until they turn white.
  • Now, add sliced mushrooms to the chicken and cook them for another 5 minutes.
  • After that, add hot peppers, onion, green peppers, salt and pepper to the pot and continue cooking.
  • Add tomato sauce, paprika, water, heavy cream, red pepper flakes and parsley to the pot.
  • Wait until everything is boiled, then cover the pot and cook on simmer for another 20 minutes. Make sure to stir the mixture occasionally.
  • By following the package instructions, cook the pasta.
  • After the wait is over, add olives to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes. The texture should be saucy at this point in time.
  • Mix cornstarch and little water in a bowl to make it a thick slurry.
  • Pour the prepared cornstarch slurry into the sauce and stir for a while.
  • Stir in the cooked pasta and serve hot.

Tips for Making the Best Chicken Riggies

Make sure you know these tips while cooking the chicken riggies.

  • You can make a large batch of sauce before and save it in the refrigerator. Then, prepare the pasta and combine them before serving.
  • You can even make the entire recipe prior and refrigerate it by placing it in the baking dish. Reheat it in the own by adding little water or cheese and serve.
  • Save time by pre-cooking the chicken. Leftover chicken or Rotisserie chicken works well in the recipe.
  • Add room-temperature cream cheese to the sauce and whisk to make the dish ultra-creamy.
  • Add chicken stock or bone broth instead of water and bouillon for flavor.
  • Adjust heat levels while cooking the recipe.
  • If you don’t have rigatoni, then you can add any short and textured pasta like ziti, penne or farfalle.

Can You Freeze Chicken Riggies?

Yes, you can freeze chicken riggies. Before freezing them, wait until they reach room temperature, then add them to the airtight container or freezer-safe bag. Cover it with foil and place in the freeze. Also, label the container and consume it within 3 months. Divide the chicken riggies into portions before freezing to avoid refreezing.

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How to Reheat Chicken Riggies?

When you want to eat frozen chicken riggies, remove them from the freezer and thaw them overnight in the fridge. Also, allow them to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before placing them in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and cook the thawed chicken riggies for 45 minutes. You can do the same in the microwave also.

Chicken Riggies Recipe Nutritional Information

The nutrition facts of chicken riggies per serving are mentioned below:

  • Calories: 806kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 75g
  • Protein: 60.6g
  • Fat: 29.2g
  • Saturated Fat: 10.2g
  • Cholesterol: 170mg
  • Sodium: 488mg
  • Potassium: 547mg
  • Fiber: 8.2g
  • Sugar: 14g
  • Calcium: 197mg
  • Iron: 7mg

FAQs on Chicken Riggies Recipe

1. What is chicken riggie sauce made of?

Chicken Riggie sauce of crushed tomatoes, heavy cream, and cherry peppers.

2. Who came up with Chicken Riggies?

Richie Scamardo and Bobby Hazeton chefs at the Cilantro House Restaurant made the chicken riggies for the first time.

3. How many calories are in a chicken riggie?

There are 806k calories per serving in a chicken riggie.

4. Why is it called Chicken Riggies?

The dish is called chicken riggies, as it is made with rigatoni pasta and chicken.

In Conclusion

Hope that the details we have given here about the Chicken Riggies Recipe are useful for you. If you have any doubts or suggestions, you can give them in the comment section. Try this recipe in our style and share your experience. If you like the recipe, don’t forget to share it with your friends and family.

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