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This spicy chicken rigatoni is one of our family favorites and easy to make recipes that

 

Spicy chicken rigatoni on a white dish with the skillet behind in the photo.

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

I just love going to a great restaurant. But man it is so dang expensive! Especially to take your family! I LOVE when I find a recipe that tastes just like going to a restaurant. This recipe said that it was just like Bucca di Beppo. I have to say that it was fantastic! The flavor of the sauce combined with alfredo and marinara was divine! With spicy chicken, tons of garlic, and a combo of alfredo and marinara sauce, and a handful of peas to make up this Spicy Chicken Rigatoni, it has easily become one of my favorite pasta dishes of all time.This dish is pure comfort food. The family loved it. This is definitely a keeper!

What is Spicy Chicken Rigatoni?

This is a perfect cuisine to whip up for your family on your weeknight dinners or even for when you have guests over. You can dress this meal up as much as you want or just throw it together for yourself one night! Essentially what it is, is chicken mixed into pasta with a tasty alfredo and marinara sauce. All of your favorites so you know it is going to be good. And this is a kid- friendly meal! 

 

What Do You Need to Make Spicy Chicken Rigatoni?

Nothing but the best for this recipe. The combination of flavors is this dish is what makes it. All the different spices and sauces mixed into this make it one for the books. Here is a list of everything you need to create this meal for your family.

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into super thin strips
  • 1 tablespoon garlic – minced I used about 6-7 cloves
  • 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flake
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup peas
  • 1 lb rigatoni noodles cooked al dente
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • Sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese and a pinch of red pepper flake for garnish.

 

How Do You Make Spicy Chicken Rigatoni?

A lot of times when we hear or see something that seems a little on the fancier side we may feel a little intimidated about the idea of making it ourselves. But with the right steps and ingredients you can make anything. This recipe takes about 10 minutes to prepare, and 20 minutes to cook, leading to a total of 30 minutes till you are able to taste this Italian specialty. Making this will feed about 6 people. These steps will walk you through how to create this tasty cuisine. 

  • In a large skillet on medium-high heat, heat two tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté garlic, red pepper flake, and coarse black pepper for 2-3 minutes. Add in thin strips of chicken breast, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook until chicken is done at a temperature of 160 degrees. This should only take a few minutes because the chicken is cut thin.
  • Add in marinara sauce and stir. Then add in heavy cream. Let the sauces simmer for about 10 minutes.
  • To the sauce/chicken, add two tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup peas. Stir until the butter melts.
  • Combine chicken/sauce mixture with cooked pasta. Garnish with fresh parmesan cheese, and a pinch or two of red pepper flake.

 

The process of making chicken rigatoni.

What Do You Serve with Spicy Chicken Rigatoni?

This dish is very versatile. With the combination of chicken and pasta and the different sauces there is quite a bit you can serve with it. If we are hitting all the basic sides you can choose to do something with vegetables. There is the option of steaming some or you could even toss a salad together. Other sides that would pair great could be dinner rolls,or even garlic bread would be a hit. Here is an amazing recipe for The Best Homemade Garlic Bread. Another popular side could be this Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread. Chances are if there is a side you normally prefer, it should be able to compliment this meal. And if you are feeding a crowd, this recipe can easily be doubled for your Italian feast! 

Spicy chicken rigatoni on a white plate.

 

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Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

5 from 2 votes
By: Alyssa Rivers
The flavor of the sauce combined with alfredo and marinara was divine! The family loved it. This is definitely a keeper!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients 

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into super thin strips
  • 1 tablespoon garlic – minced I used about 6-7 cloves
  • 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flake
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup peas
  • 1 lb rigatoni noodles cooked al dente
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • Sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese and a pinch of red pepper flake for garnish.

Instructions 

  • In a large skillet on medium-high heat, heat two tablespoons olive oil. Sauté garlic, red pepper flake, and coarse black pepper for 2-3 minutes. Add in thin strips of chicken breast, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook until chicken is done at a temperature of 160 degrees. This should only take a few minutes because the chicken is cut thin.
  • Add in marinara sauce and stir. Then add in heavy cream. Let the sauces simmer for about 10 minutes.
  • To the sauce/chicken, add two tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup peas. Stir until the butter melts.
  • Combine chicken/sauce mixture with cooked pasta. Garnish with fresh parmesan cheese, and a pinch or two of red pepper flake.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 604kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 23gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 1185mgPotassium: 634mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 969IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian, Italian American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

 

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

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Recipe Rating




11 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Delicious and easy to make, excellent. Left the peas out because my girlfriend is not a fan, but we didn’t miss them. Perfect level of spice.

  2. Made this tonight and everyone loved it. I did delete the peas and butter. I put in 1 tsp of red pepper flakes in the chicken and was perfect amount of heat! Will be making again

  3. I love this recipe and was going to ask if it could be modified for a crockpot but someone beat me to it!! Thanks ladies I will def be trying this out in my sc.

  4. Alyssa,
    This looks delicious and contains two of my favorite ingredients pasta and chicken 🙂 Thanks so much for linking up to Creative Thursday. Can’t wait to see what you share this week! Have a wonderful week.
    Michelle

  5. I made a similar dish with alfredo sauce and tomato sauce instead of the marinara and it was amazing. I’ll have to try adding peas next time!

  6. I only had frozen chicken and didn’t want to go to the store, so I am trying this as a crockpot recipe! I’ll let you know how it works out!

    1. So the verdict is…. We will definitely make this again. I didn’t give it to my two youngest (2.5 yr and 20 months) it was a little too spicy for me to want to serve it to them, but My husband, oldest 2 (9 and 8) and I loved it! I just used the frozen chicken breast, made the sauce and poured it over the chicken and cooked it on low for 8 hours. It was SO good!

    2. I would have made mine in the crockpot but didn’t get to the store until the afternoon! And how did the sauce turn out in the crockpot?? And I didn’t add the red pepper to mine because it would have been too spicy for the little ones, I just sprinkled on top of the adults…. We LOVED it too! Thanks for letting me know on that! You ROCK!