Chicken Riggies: A Utica/Rome, NY Specialty Dish

By Angela Lince

We eat it for dinner, lunch, and hey, we even eat it for breakfast. It couldn’t be tastier. This it happens to be Chicken Riggies. Basically it’s heaven to the taste buds of Utica/Rome natives. This creamy, spicy chicken and pasta dish has held a reserved spot on the dining room tables of central New Yorkers for several years now. Why not add it to yours?

Here’s how:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of butter

1 large onion (red or white)

1 green pepper

1 orange pepper

1 yellow pepper

1 jar roasted red peppers

1 small can diced tomatoes

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 lbs of boneless chicken   

1 block of cream cheese

Parmesan cheese (grated or blocked)      

1 lb of rigatoni pasta

1 Jar of Marinara Sauce

Optional:

1 can of black olives

4 pepperoncini peppers

4 tablespoons of Frank’s RedHot sauce

Directions:

Vegetables and Chicken-

1. Prepare and slice the vegetables. Sauté them (except garlic) in a large pan on medium heat. Once the vegetables are cooked turn heat down to low. Allow the vegetables to sit and simmer.
2. While the vegetables are sautéing, prepare the chicken by slicing it into cubes. Set the chicken in a separate pan. Cook until white. Add salt and pepper to your own liking.

Alfredo sauce (white sauce)-

1. In a pot, add two tablespoons of butter and two teaspoons of minced garlic. Cook on high until the butter is melted and the garlic is translucent/cooked.
2. Add two cups of whole milk and cook until slightly boiling.
3. While the sauce is cooking, slice the block of cream cheese into small pieces. Add cream cheese to sauce, and whisk until it’s thoroughly mixed.
4. Add Parmesan cheese to the mixture.
5. Add salt and pepper to your own liking.

Pasta

• Boil a pot of water and add one pound of rigatoni pasta. Occasionally stir the pasta and check to see if it’s cooked to your preference.

Quick tip: Adding salt to water increases the boiling point of the water. This means your water will have a higher temperature when you add the pasta, so it will cook better and faster.

Final Steps-

1. Add Alfredo sauce to vegetable pan. Mix thoroughly.
2. Add Marinara sauce to the vegetable pan. Mix thoroughly. Set temperature to low-medium.
3. Drain the liquid from the cooked chicken, and add the chicken to the vegetable pan. Turn the burner heat up to medium-high. Let the vegetables, chicken, and sauces blend and produce the chicken Riggie flavor.
4. Combine Chicken Riggie sauce and pasta together or serve it separately.
5. Enjoy!

Let us know what you thought of this recipe in the comments!