Chicken riggies is an Upstate NY thing. I have already written about how to make the red version, so I decided to show you how to make the more common white recipe. Mostly the difference here is the cream you add at the end and you also use less herbs and different oils.

Where I come from, a bit North of Utica NY, just about every family function includes a dish of riggies. It is a powerhouse of a meal so unless your feeding 10-15 people, prepare for leftovers.

• 1 1/2 – 2 pounds cut up bite size boneless chicken (white or dark or both).
• About 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• 1 large yellow onion, diced.
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped.
• 1 20 oz. jar of sweet peppers, drained, lightly chopped.
• 1/4 cup of pickled hot cherry peppers, lightly chopped.
• 3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
• About 1/2 cup of fresh basil, lightly chopped.
• 2 cups or so of chicken broth.
• 1 28 oz can/jar crushed tomatoes.
• About 24 oz of dry rigatoni, prepared as per directions on the box (reserve some of the liquid).
• 3/4 to 1 cup of heavy cream.
• Salt and fresh ground pepper.

In a really large sauce pan, add the olive oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Heat to medium/medium high. Salt and pepper the chicken pieces and cook in batches until just done in the sauce pan and remove.

Add the onions and garlic and cook for about 2-3 minutes until onion just starts to turn clear.

Add the chopped sweet and hot peppers, and then stir in the chicken stock.

Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer.

Add the chicken back to the pan.

Stir in the heavy cream and then fold in the prepared rigatoni.

Fold in the Parmesan cheese. If the mixture looks dry, add some of the water used to boil the rigatoni to it about a 1/4 cup at a time.

Once your satisfied with the texture, fold in the basil leaves and serve.