Spicy chicken rigatoni is a creamy, rosy pasta dinner of tender chicken strips, garlic and plenty of crushed red pepper in a marinara and heavy cream sauce, tossed with rigatoni and sweet green peas. The big tubes of pasta catch the sauce inside and out, and the heat builds slowly with each bite. It is made with one skillet and one pot and is ready in 30 minutes. It tastes like a restaurant pasta, and it is easy enough for any weeknight.
How to make spicy chicken rigatoni: Cook 1 pound of rigatoni until al dente. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and cook garlic, crushed red pepper and black pepper for 2 to 3 minutes. Add thin strips of chicken and salt and cook to 165°F. Stir in 2 cups of marinara and 2 cups of heavy cream and simmer about 10 minutes. Stir in butter and peas, then mix in the pasta.
Why You’ll Love It
- Creamy with a kick. Tomato, cream and real heat.
- Thirty minutes. The sauce simmers while the pasta boils.
- Simple ingredients. A jar of marinara, cream and frozen peas.
- Feeds six. A full pound of pasta.
- Easy to adjust. Use less pepper for a mild pan, or more for a hot one.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken breasts. Two boneless, skinless breasts, about 1.5 pounds, cut into thin strips so they cook fast.
Garlic. One tablespoon, minced.
Crushed red pepper flakes. One tablespoon. This is where the heat comes from.
Black pepper and salt. A 1/2 teaspoon of coarse pepper and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Olive oil. Two tablespoons, for the skillet.
Marinara sauce. Two cups.
Heavy cream. Two cups.
Peas. A 1/2 cup.
Rigatoni. One pound.
Butter. Two tablespoons, unsalted, to finish the sauce.
Parmesan. Freshly grated, for the top.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 pounds), cut into thin strips
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus a pinch for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup peas
- 1 pound rigatoni
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, for garnish
How to Make Spicy Chicken Rigatoni
1. Cook the rigatoni. Cook the rigatoni until al dente.
2. Start the skillet. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Cook the chicken. Add the thin chicken strips and the salt. Cook until a food thermometer reads 165°F in the chicken.
4. Simmer the sauce. Stir in the marinara, then the heavy cream. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Add peas and butter. Stir in the butter and peas until the butter melts.
6. Combine and serve. Mix the cooked rigatoni into the chicken and sauce. Garnish with grated Parmesan and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.
Marinara and Cream, or Marinara and Alfredo?
This recipe uses marinara and heavy cream. There is no jar of Alfredo sauce in it.
The question comes up because there are two common ways to build the pink sauce for this dish. Both start with 2 cups of marinara. The difference is the white half.
| Sauce base | What goes in | What it is like |
|---|---|---|
| Marinara and heavy cream (this recipe) | 2 cups marinara, 2 cups heavy cream, finished with butter | Smooth and rich. It thickens as it simmers |
| Marinara and Alfredo | 2 cups marinara, 2 cups jarred Alfredo sauce | Thicker and cheesier from the start |
Pick one. Do not add Alfredo on top of the cream. That would double the white part of the sauce and leave it heavy, pale and far too loose for a pound of pasta.
With cream, the simmer matters. Ten minutes of gentle bubbling lets the sauce reduce and thicken so it clings to the tubes. If it still looks thin when the pasta goes in, give it a minute or two more. The starch on the rigatoni will tighten it as well.
Tips for Success
How spicy is it?
A full tablespoon of red pepper flakes makes a properly spicy pan. For a milder dinner, start with half and add more at the end.
Why cook the pepper flakes in the oil first?
Warm oil pulls the heat and flavor out of the flakes and the garlic, and carries them through the whole sauce.
How do I keep the garlic from burning?
Stir it often, and lower the heat a little if it starts to color quickly. Burnt garlic turns bitter.
How thin should the chicken be?
Thin strips, all about the same size, so they cook through quickly and evenly. Check a thick piece with a thermometer.
Do the peas need to be cooked first?
No. Frozen peas warm through in the hot sauce in a minute or two.
Should I rinse the pasta?
No. Drain it and add it straight to the skillet. The starch helps the sauce stick.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow, covered containers. They keep for 3 to 4 days. Reheat to 165°F on the stove, with a splash of milk or water to loosen the sauce. Cream sauces can separate after freezing, so this pasta is best eaten fresh or from the fridge.
What to Serve With It
Garlic bread and a crisp salad round out the plate. For more creamy chicken dinners, try the chicken broccoli Alfredo pasta bake, the oven baked 3-ingredient creamy chicken or the 3-ingredient slow cooker cream cheese chicken. For noodles, there are the slow cooker Amish broccoli chicken noodles and the slow cooker cream of chicken ham pasta. And for a crunchy casserole, bake the Ritz cracker chicken casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What sauce is used for spicy rigatoni: marinara and cream, or marinara and Alfredo?
Here, marinara and heavy cream. Recipes that use jarred Alfredo leave the cream out.
How do you make spicy chicken rigatoni?
Cook garlic and red pepper in oil, cook the chicken, simmer it in marinara and cream, add butter and peas, and toss with rigatoni.
What is chicken rigatoni?
It is a pasta dish of chicken and rigatoni in a creamy tomato sauce, often with peas and red pepper flakes.
What goes in spicy chicken pasta?
Chicken, garlic, crushed red pepper, marinara, cream, peas, butter and pasta, with Parmesan on top.
Final Notes
I put the pasta water on to boil before I slice the chicken, so the rigatoni and the sauce finish together. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Spicy Chicken Rigatoni
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Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless; about 1.5 pounds, cut into thin strips
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes plus a pinch or two for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper coarse
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup peas
- 1 pound rigatoni cook until al dente
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
- Parmesan cheese freshly grated, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the rigatoni until al dente.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the thin chicken strips and the salt. Cook until a food thermometer reads 165°F in the chicken.
- Stir in the marinara, then the heavy cream. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the butter and peas until the butter melts.
- Mix the cooked rigatoni into the chicken and sauce. Garnish with grated Parmesan and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.
Notes
Nutrition
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