Ever heard of chicken riggies? If you haven’t you’re missing out on one of upstate New York’s most beloved pasta dishes! As someone who’s always on the hunt for unique regional recipes, I was thrilled when I first discovered this creamy spicy pasta creation that has locals obsessed and visitors intrigued.
The Origins of Chicken Riggies: A Utica Treasure
Chicken riggies (sometimes called “Utica riggies”) is an Italian-American pasta dish that originated in the Utica-Rome area of New York State. What I find most interesting about this dish is that despite its popularity there’s no clear consensus on who actually created it first! Many chefs from the Utica area claim to be the originator but the true inventor remains a mystery.
This local favorite is almost impossible to find outside a 20-mile vicinity of Utica, NY. It’s become such a point of pride for the region that when celebrity chef Rachael Ray featured the dish on her show, locals had strong reactions to seeing their treasured recipe shared with the nation!
What Exactly Are Chicken Riggies?
At its core, chicken riggies is a pasta-based dish consisting of:
- Rigatoni pasta (that’s where the “riggies” part comes from!)
- Chicken (typically chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces)
- Hot or sweet peppers
- A creamy tomato sauce with a spicy kick
While many variations exist, the signature elements that make chicken riggies special are the combination of a creamy sauce (usually made with heavy cream) mixed with a tomato base, creating that distinctive pinkish-red sauce that coats the ridged pasta tubes perfectly.
The Essential Ingredients
The beauty of chicken riggies is in its relatively simple ingredient list that creates such complex flavors. Here’s what you’ll typically need:
The Basics:
- Rigatoni pasta (1 pound)
- Chicken breast (about 2-2.5 pounds)
- Butter or olive oil
- Onions or shallots
- Bell peppers (usually green)
- Hot peppers (cherry peppers are common)
- Tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese
The Flavor Enhancers:
- Garlic
- Mushrooms (optional but common)
- Black olives (optional)
- Various spices (paprika, parsley, crushed red pepper flakes)
What makes this dish special is how these ingredients come together. The hot peppers give it that signature spice, while the cream smooths everything out into a velvety sauce that clings to both the chicken and pasta.
How to Make Authentic Chicken Riggies
I’ve researched multiple recipes, and while there are variations, here’s a comprehensive guide to making authentic chicken riggies:
Step 1: Prep Your Ingredients
Begin by cutting your chicken into bite-sized pieces and chopping your vegetables. Having everything ready makes the cooking process much smoother.
Step 2: Cook the Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni until al dente (usually 8-10 minutes). You want it just firm enough since it’ll continue cooking slightly when mixed with the hot sauce.
Step 3: Cook the Chicken
In a large skillet or pot, heat butter or olive oil over medium-high heat. Season your chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then cook until lightly browned on all sides and no longer pink in the center (about 7 minutes). Remove the chicken and set aside.
Step 4: Sauté the Vegetables
In the same pan, add your onions, peppers, and garlic. Cook until the onions become translucent (about 4-5 minutes).
Step 5: Create the Sauce
Add your tomato sauce/crushed tomatoes and hot peppers to the vegetables. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the cooked chicken and heavy cream. Let this simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors meld together.
Step 6: Combine and Serve
Mix the pasta into the sauce, ensuring every piece is well-coated. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Variations That Make It Special
One thing I’ve noticed is that everyone seems to have their own twist on chicken riggies! Here are some popular variations:
- Spice Level: Some recipes call for just 1-2 hot peppers, while others suggest adding additional crushed red pepper flakes for those who really love heat.
- Veggie Mix: While green peppers are traditional, many recipes incorporate other peppers like Cubanelle or roasted red peppers.
- Sauce Consistency: Some prefer a thicker sauce (sometimes thickened with cornstarch), while others like it more liquid.
- Protein Switch: While chicken is traditional, some variations include shrimp riggies!
- Cheese Factor: The amount of Parmesan varies widely between recipes, with some adding it directly to the sauce for extra creaminess.
What Makes Chicken Riggies Special?
You might be wondering, “Isn’t this just another pasta dish?” but there’s something truly unique about chicken riggies that makes it stand out:
-
The Balance of Flavors: The creamy + spicy + tomato combination creates a depth of flavor that’s hard to achieve in simpler pasta dishes.
-
Regional Pride: Like many regional specialties, there’s a certain pride and tradition associated with chicken riggies in Utica. It’s featured prominently in local restaurants and is part of the area’s culinary identity.
-
Versatility: The basic formula allows for personalization, making it a dish that can be adapted to different tastes while maintaining its essential character.
-
Comfort Food Status: It hits that perfect comfort food note – creamy, slightly spicy, filling, and satisfying.
When to Serve Chicken Riggies
This hearty dish works for many occasions:
- Family Dinners: It’s substantial enough to feed a hungry family and can be scaled up easily for larger gatherings.
- Special Occasions: Despite its humble origins, it feels special enough for celebrations.
- Potlucks: It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser that introduces people to something they might not have tried before.
- Comfort Food Cravings: When you need something warm, creamy, and satisfying.
Sides That Pair Well With Chicken Riggies
To complete your meal, consider serving chicken riggies with:
- Italian Bread: Perfect for soaking up the extra sauce!
- Simple Green Salad: The freshness helps balance the richness of the dish.
- Utica Greens: Another regional specialty featuring escarole, if you want to create an authentic Utica-themed meal.
- Glass of Red Wine: A medium-bodied red complements the creamy tomato flavors nicely.
My Personal Tips for Perfect Riggies
After researching numerous recipes, here are some tips I’ve gathered:
-
Don’t Rush the Sauce: Let it simmer long enough for the flavors to develop and meld together.
-
Pasta Water is Your Friend: Save some of the starchy pasta water to add to your sauce if it needs thinning.
-
Fresh Ingredients Matter: Especially when it comes to the peppers and cheese, fresh ingredients make a noticeable difference.
-
Balance the Heat: It should have a kick, but not overpower the other flavors.
-
Serve Immediately: This dish is at its best when freshly made and hot.
The Cultural Significance of Chicken Riggies
What I find fascinating about dishes like chicken riggies is how they become intertwined with local identity. Utica, NY proudly claims this dish as part of its culinary heritage, alongside other regional specialties like Utica Greens, tomato pie, and half-moon cookies.
In fact, chicken riggies has become such a significant part of Utica’s food culture that there are even cooking competitions centered around this dish! The “Riggie Fest” has been held in the area, where restaurants compete for the title of best riggies in town.
Final Thoughts: Why You Should Try Chicken Riggies
If you’re looking to expand your pasta repertoire beyond the usual spaghetti and meatballs or fettuccine Alfredo, chicken riggies offers something truly special. It represents the best of Italian-American fusion cuisine – taking Italian foundations (pasta, tomato sauce) and adding distinctly American twists (cream sauce, spicy peppers).
The next time you’re looking for a comfort food dish that’s a little different from the norm, give chicken riggies a try! Whether you follow a traditional recipe or put your own spin on it, this Utica specialty deserves a place in your cooking rotation.
And if you ever find yourself in upstate New York, specifically the Utica-Rome area, be sure to try the authentic version at a local restaurant. There’s nothing quite like experiencing a regional specialty in its home territory!
Have you tried chicken riggies before? What’s your favorite regional pasta dish? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below!
FAQ About Chicken Riggies
Q: Can I make chicken riggies ahead of time?
A: Yes, but the pasta may absorb some of the sauce as it sits. It’s best freshly made, but leftovers still taste great!
Q: What if I can’t find hot cherry peppers?
A: You can substitute with other hot peppers or even add some crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
Q: Is there a vegetarian version?
A: Absolutely! Try substituting the chicken with mushrooms or plant-based chicken alternatives.
Q: How spicy is this dish typically?
A: It varies widely! Some versions are quite mild, while others pack significant heat. You can easily adjust the spice level by changing the amount and type of hot peppers used.
Q: What type of pasta works best if I can’t find rigatoni?
A: Any tube-shaped pasta that can catch the sauce works well – penne or ziti would be good substitutes.
Remember, the best part about home cooking is making it your own, so don’t be afraid to adjust the recipe to suit your tastes while still honoring the spirit of this delicious regional specialty!
Rigatoni, chicken, and hot cherry peppers took Italian ingredients and created a beloved American dish across a large part of New York State.
Like many newcomers to Central New York State, Carlos Moran was puzzled when he first saw “chicken riggies” on a restaurant menu.
“I asked the server, ‘What is chicken riggies?’” says the California native, confessing that he initially mispronounced the name “ree-gees,” like the Bee Gees, the popular 1970s musical group.
The server quickly set him straight. Here in New York’s Mohawk Valley, riggies (rhymes with piggies) is short for rigatoni. And chicken riggies, in particular, refers to the pasta and poultry cooked together in a creamy, spicy, pink-tinted tomato sauce. It is a regional specialty, endemic to Oneida County, a long-standing Italian-American enclave, but somewhat rarely found outside of the I-90 corridor.
Little did Moran know this cutesy named, local pasta dish would soon be his key to success. “This is happy food,” says Moran, now the owner of that restaurant, Teddy’s in Rome, NY, which has since become a destination for chicken riggies fans. A sign at the entrance reads: “I love you more than chicken riggies (but please don’t make me choose).”
As New World food adaptations go, chicken riggies are a relatively modern creation. Italian immigrants began moving to the area over a century ago. Chicken riggies have been around for only a few decades.
“This is something we never had growing up,” says Mary Kiernan, an associate professor in the Food Studies Program at Syracuse University. “I’m from Central New York and my father was first-generation Italian-American and I didn’t know what chicken riggies were until I came back to the area as an adult.”
The exact origins are unclear, with conflicting anecdotal accounts about which cook gets credit for first combining the common elements of chicken, rigatoni, cheese, tomato, and, most importantly, hot cherry peppers, which give the dish its distinctive kick. The former Chesterfield restaurant in downtown Utica claimed to be the first to put chicken riggies on the menu in 1989; its modern incarnation, Chesterfield’s Tavolo, still advertises the “original” recipe.
“Riggies is a very creative dish, if you break it down,” says Kiernan, noting that every ingredient is readily on hand in a typical Italian restaurant. “All these pieces and parts of the chicken riggie recipe could easily have come from other parts of whatever was left from the night before, and it just turned out great.”
Restaurants from Albany to Buffalo now serve their own versions, some adding less common ingredients like mushrooms, olives, and heavy cream.
Kiernan says one of the hallmarks of a well-made bowl of riggies is a good balance between the creamy, the tomato, and especially the hot cherry pepper flavors. “Sometimes the cherry peppers can be too big,” she says. “You want it to be evenly tasted throughout the dish. You don’t want one bite to be chicken and cream sauce and then on the next bite, ‘Whoa, this is rocket hot!’”
Some ill-fated variations even try swapping in a different hot pepper. “I would be so disappointed if you gave me chicken riggies and you gave me jalapeños,” Kiernan says. “You need to stay true to what the recipe is.”
For Moran, discovering chicken riggies came at an opportune time. In 2005, fans of the local foodstuff began planning for the area’s first “Riggiefest,” a charity contest to determine which restaurant serves the best chicken riggies around.
The chef had just left his fine-dining job at the Alexander Hamilton Hotel in Clinton, NY, and stumbled upon Teddy’s, a casual restaurant in nearby Rome, decorated with kitschy teddy bears and portraits of one-time U.S. President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. Then known more for diner fare like burgers and sandwiches, the restaurant also served a fairly basic rendition of chicken riggies. As it happened, the restaurant was looking to hire a kitchen manager.
Moran decided to put his culinary chops to use, taking the job, refining the restaurant’s riggie recipe, and entering the contest.
The Mexican-born, California-raised cook seemed an unlikely challenger in a field of pasta pros from more traditional Italian-American restaurants, but the judges at Utica Memorial Auditorium liked his version the best, awarding Teddy’s the top prize. “Some of the restaurant owners said we were lucky,” notes Moran. Yet, Teddy’s also won the next year, and the year after that. In 2008, organizers announced that Teddy’s would be inducted into the “Riggiefest Hall of Fame,” thereby clearing the way for a new winner.
“Since then, it’s been the No. 1 seller on my menu,” Moran says of his contest-winning riggies. His recipe incorporates white wine and leans heavily on a homemade Alfredo sauce mixed with tomato. He also likes to add a splash of liquid from the jar of pickled hot cherry peppers. “The cherry peppers are what makes it,” he says. “You’ve got to put the juice in it.”
In a normal week, Moran says the restaurant expends about 100 to 125 gallons of sauce on the riggies, which are now also available in sausage and buffalo chicken varieties.
“Why is it so popular? To be honest with you, I have no idea. We are very popular when it comes to the chicken riggies. That’s what matters.”