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This spicy chicken riggies (rigatoni) is true comfort food – warm, hearty and brings the whole family around the dinner table. Quick & easy too!
Spicy Chicken Riggies or Spicy chicken rigatoni is a hearty pasta dish made with sauteed chicken, peppers, and rigatoni pasta, all tossed in a delicious creamy ragu sauce. It’s an Italian – American dish that is very popular in the state of New York.
This dish reminds me of my childhood – the flavors and the smell of the pasta sauce cooking on the stove bring memories of my childhood. Home cooked meals are so special and I hope to be able to continue and pass on the tradition of making delicious meals at home for my family.
These spicy chicken riggies (chicken rigatoni) are not only easy but also fairly quick to make. It only takes about 25 minutes to make this dish from start to finish. While the pasta is boiling, you can cook the chicken, and then mix the pasta, veggies, chicken & sauce. The sauce for the chicken riggies is made with a whole jar of Ragu Homestyle Thick and Hearty Roasted Garlic Sauce with a bit of cream. Love it when dinner can be served on the table within 30 minutes. Can’t beat that! And leftovers make an easy lunch for next day. Win, win! You can also easily double the recipe to serve a crowd.
These sauces are amazing, friends! They taste homemade, have a fantastic flavor and are made with real ingredients. The sauce tastes homemade because it’s slow simmered to perfection, with vine-ripened tomatoes, and a special blend of herbs and spices. I also love that the pasta sauces are free of artificial flavors, colors and high corn fructose corn syrup. Ragu Homestyle Sauces come in 5 different flavors. I have made several gluten free pasta dishes with the new Ragu sauces, and my favorite is probably the Roasted Garlic flavor. It is perfectly seasoned, and you don’t need to add anything else. You have to try it and see for yourself, you won’t be disappointed.
What is your go-to weeknight dinner the whole family enjoys? Check out Ragu’s website for more pasta inspiration.
Chicken Riggies
What you need
16 oz gluten free rigatoni
1.5 lbs chicken boneless, skinless breasts, cut into 1″ pieces
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 pickled hot cherry peppers, sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
24 oz pasta sauce
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp fresh basil, for garnish
Instructions
Boil rigatoni pasta according to package instructions.
Season chicken with salt, black pepper, garlic, and paprika. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook chicken until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
Heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive in the same skillet, and add sliced bell peppers, cherry peppers, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes until vegetables have softened.
Add cooked chicken, cooked pasta, pasta sauce, heavy whipping cream to the skillet and toss to combine. Add some red pepper flakes if you want to make it spicier.
Serve topped with chopped fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Spicy Chicken Riggies
INGREDIENTS
- 16 oz gluten free rigatoni
- 1.5 lbs chicken boneless, skinless breasts, cut into 1″ pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 pickled hot cherry peppers, sliced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 24 oz pasta sauce
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 Tablespoon fresh basil, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Boil rigatoni pasta according to package instructions.
- Season chicken with salt, black pepper, garlic, and paprika. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook chicken until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
- Heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive in the same skillet, and add sliced bell peppers, cherry peppers, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes until vegetables have softened.
- Add cooked chicken, cooked pasta, pasta sauce, heavy whipping cream to the skillet and toss to combine. Add some red pepper flakes if you want to make it more spicy.
- Serve topped with chopped fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
TIPS & NOTES
- Cook the pasta al dente. It will continue to cook after you have drained it and when it is added back into the sauce.
- To save on even more time, you can use pre-cooked chicken. Chicken thighs will also work if that’s what you have.
- If you are sensitive to heat, you can omit the pickled hot cherry peppers and red pepper flakes.
NUTRITION
♥ FAVORITE THINGS ♥
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Looks so delicious and perfect for a quick healthy dinner!
love a good pasta meal here! hadn’t heard the term “riggies” for rigatoni before.
This is s meal that my family requests again and again! We love it!
Love how easy this pasta is to put together! That ragu sounds so good.
That looks like the perfect comfort food for this cold weather! I love a little kick in my pasta dishes! Thanks for sharing!
I love a spicy red sauce on my pasta and this looks like the perfect recipe. I’ll be adding this to our monthly rotation of recipes!
Wow, a plate of colorful, flavorful and delicious dinner!
We are so busy with shopping, wrapping and baking right now that I hardly have time to even think about dinner. This is perfect for those hectic times — looks delish too!
So yummy! Perfect for this season 🙂
My family loved this meal! They ask for it almost every week!
Yay! Awesome! SO glad they loved it!
I used to use Ragu sauces a lot before. They are definitely yummy.
I love simple pasta recipe and this one sounds like a winner.
This is the perfect easy weeknight meal!
We love spicy meals, so this is a great dish for dinner. Thanks for sharing!
Oh yum, yum, yum! This recipe is right up my alley! I love spicy food and this is a great weeknight dinner option that my family will love!
I could eat pasta all day long! Especially when made with tasty sauces! 🙂
This chicken dish is delicious. love the flavors!
I love anything spicy, so this pasta is a must try for me! Yum!
This looks so hearty and tasty! Thanks for sharing!
Well this looks like a glorious bowl of comfort food if ever i’ve seen one! So delish!!!