Chef John's Chicken Riggies

This regional dish from Central New York is a rich pasta sauce made with Italian sausage, chopped chicken, peppers, olives, tomatoes, and cream.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins
• Calories: 1051 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 4 ounces hot Italian ground sausage meat
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole Italian plum tomatoes (such as San Marzano), crushed
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 0.5 cup heavy whipping cream
• 0.5 cup Marsala wine
• 0.5 cup water, or as needed
• 0.5 cup pitted and chopped Kalamata olives
• 0.25 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
• 1.5 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, roughly chopped
• 1.5 cups chopped hot and sweet peppers
• 0.5 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir sausage, mushrooms, onions, salt, and black pepper in hot oil until vegetables are softened and sausage is browned, 6 to 7 minutes.

Step 2

Stir peppers, olives, and garlic into sauce. Continue to simmer until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in parsley.

Step 3

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until nearly cooked, about 11 minutes. Drain.

Step 4

Stir chopped chicken into sausage mixture; cook and stir over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Pour in wine and cook, stirring to remove any browned bits off the bottom of the pan, until most of the wine is evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, and cream; simmer for 30 minutes. If needed, add water to create a thick sauce.

Step 5

Combine sauce and cooked pasta, stir in cheese, cover, and set aside until pasta has absorbed the sauce, 1 to 2 minutes.