Rigatoni with Chicken Thighs

  4.2 – 77 reviews  • Lunch
Level: Easy
Total: 1 hr 10 min
Active: 30 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  1. Salt
  2. 1 package rigatoni (or your favorite pasta)
  3. Olive oil, as needed
  4. 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
  5. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  6. 1 small to medium-sized onion, chopped
  7. 1 cup chicken broth (or white wine)
  8. Two 15-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
  9. Freshly ground black pepper
  10. Pinch sugar
  11. Fresh basil, as needed
  12. Grated Parmesan, for topping

Instructions

  1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and put the rigatoni into it. Cook until al dente (tender firm).
  2. Heat a large skillet until very hot and then generously drizzle in some olive oil. Swirl to coat the skillet, and then add half of the cut-up chicken pieces, spreading them out as you put them in. NOTE: Do not begin stirring the chicken immediately as you want to get them nice and brown. After a minute or two, flip over the chicken with a spatula and let brown on the other side. Remove to a plate and set aside. Repeat with the second half of the chicken pieces.
  3. Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil, if needed, into the hot skillet and throw in the garlic and chopped onions and give them a stir. Now add the chicken broth (or wine), whisking to deglaze the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the liquid reduces by half. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. Add the chicken (and don’t forget all of those yummy chicken juices on the plate) to the tomato/onion mixture and continue simmering for another 15 minutes. Toward the end of the cooking process, chop up your fresh basil and add it to the sauce, stirring to combine.
  5. Put the pasta on a platter or in a large bowl and smother with the sauce. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 466 calorie
Total Fat 8 grams
Saturated Fat 1 grams
Cholesterol 76 milligrams
Sodium 422 milligrams
Carbohydrates 67 grams
Dietary Fiber 4 grams
Protein 30 grams
Sugar 4 grams

Reviews

Jeffrey Palmer
This recipe was superb… I am legally blind, and don’t enjoy cooking because of the challenges, however… It was so easy, and after combining several of the suggestions in the reviews, it turned out so well… In fact, my picky teenage boy asked to have it twice this week and so I did Cook it once again for him… In addition to the comments, I used Rosemary old bay seasoning and garlic powder along with a little salt before browning the chicken… I also added 2 tablespoons of tomato paste during the last simmer timer 15 minutes… Towards the end… And per all the other instructions, it was so delicious… Oh, and one more thing… Decided to use the Small pasta shells so we didn’t have too much pasta just enough to not overwhelm the delicious blended flavors of the chicken and seasoning, and of course… A generous sprinkle of basil at the end… So scrumptious! The pioneer woman has got it going on…
Marilyn King
Just made this and it was quite bland and way too much tomato sauce. Sorry but won’t make again.
Matthew Harper
Made this for the first time last night. I had chicken thighs with the bone, so I use those by cutting off as much of the meat from the bone as I could. I browned the pieces as per the instructions, but I also browned the bones with the remaining meat attached. I added all the chicken, including the ones on the bone and followed the recipe. It was excellent.
Alex Martin
Just made this again. So delicious!
Crystal Ramirez
I did add a little Italian seasoning, but I loved this! Made enough for my fiancé and myself for three nights.
Morgan Patel
So so, after reading other reviews, I added some additional seasoning but still kind of blah. I have better recipes for BSTs
Lauren Bray
This was so good! It will be a staple at my house!
Sue Nelson
This recipe was great when I made it. The sauce is now my go-to sauce for any pasta. So good.
Brendan Mcdonald
It was very good.
Margaret Harris
Easy and actually very tasty. I used ziti which was a good choice. The simmering is key to the tastiness and cooking the pasta during the second simmer is perfect timing. I even had the cooking dishes in the dishwasher before the pasta and second simmer finished.

 

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