Chicken Riggies
from http://www.cookscountry.com
The word “riggies” refers to the signature dish of Utica, New York: rigatoni with tender boneless chicken and vegetables in a spicy, creamy tomato sauce often served with "Utica Greens." Utica is also know for their "Tomato Pie." We wanted to introduce the rest of the country to this regional favorite and avoid the rubbery chicken and mushy vegetables of some lesser versions. Here’s what we discovered:
Test Kitchen Discoveries
- A little onion contributed plenty of sweetness, while garlic, dried oregano, and a hefty dose of grated Romano cheese gave the sauce real Italian attitude.
- Removing the vegetables after cooking and adding them to the sauce at the very end prevented them from turning into mush.
- A quarter cup of chopped jarred cherry peppers lent just enough heat. We reinforced their signature flavor by adding some of the brine to our sauce.
- A relatively conservative amount of heavy cream balanced the high-impact ingredients without turning the dish into a full-fledged cream sauce.
- Marinating the chicken in cherry pepper brine, salt, and olive oil hugely improved its flavor. Poaching the marinated chicken in the sauce at the end of cooking kept it extra-tender and tasting great.
Cook's Country Magazine recipe
This recipe was originally from Cooks Country Magazine. The poster changed it to their taste. She didn't say how.
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup jarred cherry pepper, chopped fine
3 tablespoons pepper brine
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 lb pancetta, chopped
16 ounces whole mushrooms, washed and quartered
2 red bell peppers, sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 onion, cut in 1 inch pieces
5 garlic cloves, monced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 lb rigatoni pasta, cooked
1/2 cup pasta cooking water
1 1/4 cups grated romano cheese
Combine chicken, brine, oil and 1 tsp salt in a zip lock bag and marinate for 30-60 minutes.
Heat 1 tbl oil and add pancetta. Cook until crisp and fat is rendered. Remove and place in medium bowl. Add bell peppers, mushrooms and 1/2 tsp salt and brown in remaining fat. Remove veggies and add to pancetta in bowl.
Add remaining oil and add onion and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cherry peppers, garlic, oregano and garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cream and 1/2 tsp pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until thick.
Stir in chicken, veggies and pancetta and simmer covered for about 8 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add remaining cherry pepper brine.
Add hot cooked pasta and romano cheese and toss with the sauce. Use the cooking water, if mixture is too thick. Season with salt and pepper.
8 servings
CHICKEN RIGGIES
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup butter
5 cloves garlic, minced
fresh basil leaves for garnish
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat cut up in chunks
salt and pepper to taste
1 (16 ounce) jar sweet or hot cherry red peppers, drained and julienned (rinsed very well under water and remove seeds use a colander)
1 28 oz can of plum tomatoes put through processor ( leave a few chunky pieces)
Add these spices to sauce
1/2 teaspoon each or garlic powder, oregano, black pepper
1/4 teaspoon each of cayenne pepper, salt, sugar
(Optional : if use you use favorite jar sauce you will need 28 oz of a marinara style.)
1/4 cup dry sherry, make sure it isn't cooking sherry which is full of salt
1 pint heavy cream
1 package uncooked Rigatoni pasta
In a large saucepan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add garlic and (shallots if you are using them in this recipe) and saute until soft, add chicken.
Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until halfway cooked.
In another pot boil your Rigatoni in salt water, drain and toss with olive oil so they won't stick together about 4 tablespoons,set aside.
Add the peppers and the sauce and all spices, reduce heat to low and simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Add sherry and simmer for another 10 minutes, add cream, stir, and simmer for 10 minutes more. Ladle the Riggie sauce over the hot cooked pasta and top with grating cheese and fresh basil. Double sauce recipe as this will make enough for only one pound.
