Chicken Riggies – What if You Never Saw This?

Way back when, the only way you would’ve found out about a regional recipe like Chicken Riggies, would have been to eat it while traveling through Central New York. 

You would’ve loved it (because there’s nothing not to love) and maybe even tried to recreate it when you got home, but more likely it would have ended up fading into nothing more than a pleasant memory; referred to as “that rigatoni we had in Utica.”

I’m sure you’ll plan a trip through the lovely Utica/Rome area of New York State eventually, but in the meantime, I offer up my take on this thoroughly enjoyable plate of pasta. I think it’s fairly authentic, with two notable exceptions. I use Marsala instead of the standard white wine, and use roughly chopped thigh meat, instead of the more popular chicken breasts.

This results in a sauce that seems much richer than it actually is, and I think you’ll love the subtle sweetness the wine imparts, which works wonderfully with the heat from the peppers. Of course, as I joke about in the video, forget how tasty the recipe is…it’s worth making just for the name alone. What’s for dinner? Chicken Riggies! Riggies? Yes, Riggies!

Anyway, if you’re from Central New York, I hope I did your venerable recipe proud. If you’re not, I hope you give this gorgeous rigatoni recipe a try, and experience what only a few decades ago, you may not have ever heard of. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

1 tbsp olive oil

4 oz hot Italian sausage, crumbled

1 onion, sliced or diced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, roughly chopped or cubed

1/2 cup Marsala wine

1 (28-oz) can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes, crushed

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup water, or as needed

1 1/2 cups chopped hot and/or sweet peppers (any jarred or fresh peppers will work, but cherry peppers are a good choice)

*if using mild peppers, use chili flakes or chili paste to increase the spiciness.

1/2 cup pitted, halved Greek olives
3 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 pound rigatoni

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese

Crispy Chicken & Creamy Italian Pasta

Pasta and I are BFF's. Actually, carbs and I are BFF's. You know what I mean. If there was a diet for an all carb weightloss, I would so be that hot girl whose body everyone else would die for. Oh yeah. That's how much I love carbs. And sweets. So someone work on a diet like that, ok? Thanks.







Ingredients

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

5 c. Corn flakes

3/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp.

Lemon Chicken with a Kick

While you are reading this, I'm enjoying some family time in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Just a quick overnight trip, but I'll take it. I have a tasty dish for you today.

Yes, another recipe using lemons. I can't get enough of them. This recipe is delicious in a dutch oven or grilled with those grill marks. Yum.

You can adjust the amount of kick by adjusting the amount of Tabasco sauce.

Crockpot Apricot Chicken

A friend made this for all of us last summer.  I was a little unsure about it because of the apricot jam in it.  But I loved it!!  It gives the perfect balance of flavor between the apricot jam and russian salad dressing.  And it is so easy!  A miracle happened tonight at dinner.  My 4 year old ate the chicken!!  We were cheering and clapping as if we had just won the lottery.  He LOVED it!  And if he loved it I know everyone will love it!  I was also glad to know that not all of my dinners are horrible according to him!  :)


Rating: 4 Stars Difficulty of Recipe: 1 star
How I changed it:  Kept it the same
Things I would do differently next time:  Nothing
Will I make it again?  Yes!
Recipe from: Six Sisters

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups apricot preserves
1 cup Russian dressing (I used Wishbone brand)
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
6 chicken breasts

Directions:
Mix together the preserves, dressing and soup mix.
Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker; pour mixture over chicken.
Cook on Low and continue cooking for 3-4 hours.

I had to document in the history books that my picky eater actually ate!

Drumsticks with Heat

I had a request from Tammi over at Momma's Meals asking if I would want to be part of her Featured Fridays where she features other bloggers and shares a recipe that she made from their blog. I agreed and today I am sharing her recipe for Drumsticks with Heat. 

So go check out what she made from my blog today. It's super yummy, I'll tell you that.

Now, here's a little about Tammi...

Tammi is

Recipe Re-Do: Zucchini & Chicken Stir Fry

I have been going back through my recipes and re-taking the photos for some of them. 

Like the way early recipes.

Like when I got really close to the food.

Too close. I'm not sure the food appreciated extreme close ups. I don't, myself.

Then Ashton asked if I would like to join in a Recipe Re-Do Blog Hop.

Perfect timing.

So at the end of the post, be sure to check out the other blogs