Utica Chicken Riggies Image Used Under Creative Commons License From hostthetoast.com
Citizens, today it is my great pleasure to share with you a recipe that is legendary in upstate NY – straight from the proud city of Utica!
Chicken riggies or Utica riggies is an Italian-American pasta dish native to the Utica-Rome area of New York State. It is a pasta-based dish usually consisting of chicken, rigatoni and hot or sweet peppers in a spicy cream and tomato sauce, although many variations exist.
“Chicken Riggies” are simply Chicken Rigatone with red bell peppers. Despite Chicken Rigatone predating “Chicken Riggies”, Utica residents continue to dispute the origins of the dish.
The name “Chicken Riggies” is a Utica, NY, colloquialism and a household name known to everyone in Central New York. Utica, NY is so famous for its Chicken Riggies (rigatoni) that they actually have a much-publicized, annual “Riggies Fest” where people (and, restaurants) compete with their own version of the dish, and a winner is crowned every year.
The first annual Riggiefest was held in Utica, NY, in 2005 at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. It is a contest which determines what restaurant makes the best riggies in the area. The best riggies will win its creator the prestigious “Riggie Cup”. All money made during the fest is donated directly to the YWCA. In 2008, the festival made over $300,000.
Should you ever find yourself in Utica, Chesterfield’s Restaurant lays claim to having invented this dish.
Citizens, my version is based very closely on the original from Chesterfield’s own original Chef Joe Morelli. My innovation is to add peppadew peppers in with the hot cherry peppers for a sweet heat that is totally addictive! ! You will be proud to serve this at your dinner table and prepare for the compliments to follow!
2 large fire-roasted red peppers (from the jar and sliced into 1 inch pieces)
5 peppadew and 2 hot cherry peppers, roughly chopped – this is a TFD modification, the original called for hot cherry peppers only, roughly chopped
28 ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes
5 cloves garlic (save one of the cloves to sauté chicken and peppers)
1cup freshly-grated Pecorino Romano cheese (plus more for topping)
1cup Sherry wine (cut with about 1/2 cup of water) – TFD uses Harvey’s Bristol Cream
2+2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil (separated – half for sauté, half for sauce)
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
1/4cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil (plus, a few torn leaves of fresh basil for tossing in with pasta at the end)
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
***
For Garnish:
red pepper flakes
freshly-grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Instructions
In a large pot heat extra-virgin olive on low heat with 4 smashed and chopped garlic cloves. This infuses the garlic into the oil before you add the tomatoes. Be careful that the garlic doesn’t get brown. It will be bitter. Add the whole tomatoes and Sherry Wine. Simmer for a few minutes. Add the butter, dried basil and the sea salt. Allow to simmer on very low heat.
Meanwhile, in a skillet, sauté the chicken in extra-virgin olive oil. When chicken is almost browned, stir in the roasted red peppers, the hot cherry peppers and peppadews, one minced garlic clove, and sauté for a couple of minute so the flavors marry.
Carefully, mash the whole tomatoes with a potato masher, then add in the Pecorino Romano cheese. (Do not add the cheese earlier, as it will stick to the bottom of the pot a little, and cling to the masher.)
Toss the chicken and peppers in with the marinara sauce and heavy cream, simmer for 10 minutes. Prepare rigatoni al dente and toss the full pound of rigatoni in the pot with the sauce mixture and fresh basil leaves. One pound of rigatoni is perfect for the amount of sauce that is prepared. Serve with additional grated cheese and red pepper flakes.
Prep Time:0 hours
Cook Time:0 hours
Category:Recipes
Nutrition
Calories:1434.98 kcal
Sugar:15.35 g
Sodium:912.26 mg
Fat:78.15 g
Saturated Fat:37.43 g
Trans Fat:0.7 g
Carbohydrates:104.75 g
Fiber:8.94 g
Protein:77.71 g
Cholesterol:311.73 mg
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