Chicken Riggies

This is one of my favorite meals. The sauce is creamy and a little on the spicy side. Chicken Riggies are native to Central New York, and there is a riggie competition every year. This recipe was actually pretty hard to track down; I'm not sure where my mom ended up finding it, but I stole it from her. I've heard that mushrooms are really good in this, if you're into that kind of thing. ::shudder:: I usually half this recipe if I'm making it for just my husband and I, and there are still leftovers. This makes A LOT. But it's great leftover.

Chicken Riggies

Ingredients:

• 4 to 6 tablespoons butter
• 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• Fresh mushrooms (if you must), sliced
• 1 green pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 red pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 pound rigatoni, cooked and drained (I like the mini rigatoni)

Directions:

• Melt butter in pan. Add chicken pieces and cook until chicken is almost done. Add mushrooms, peppers and onion and cook until vegetables start to soften.
• Add the chicken stock and stir.
• Stir together tomato sauce and heavy cream, then add to chicken & vegetable mixture.
• Add parsley, paprika and red pepper flakes.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Whisk cornstarch with some water until smooth. Gradually add to sauce, until the sauce reaches desired thickness.
• Pour over cooked pasta and mix together.