Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

Ever heard of the restaurant Buca Di Beppo? I don't think I've eaten there since high school, when me and a couple friends sometimes went there and ordered their pizza. I've never had anything else there, but apparently this recipe is from off their menu.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 Tbs crushed red pepper
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs chopped garlic
• 6 oz chicken, sliced
• 3/4 cup. Marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
• 2 tsp butter
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1 lb Rigatoni pasta, cooked according to package directions
• additional 1/2 t crushed red pepper (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS

• 1

  In a sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper and garlic and sauté just long enough for garlic to caramelize and red pepper to release flavor into the oil. Add sliced chicken and sauté briefly to coat in spices and garlic.

• 2

  Add Marinara Sauce first and then Alfredo Sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce thickens slightly and chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°. Turn off flame, add butter and peas and incorporate into sauce.

• 3

  Drop cooked pasta in boiling water for 3 seconds. Let drain for 15 seconds. Toss with the sauce. Place pasta and sauce in pasta bowl, reserving the majority of the chicken to be placed on top of the pasta. Using a rubber spatula, scrape any remaining sauce from the pan to the pasta. Garnish with crushed red pepper and serve.

NOTES

Instead of buying alfredo and marinara sauce separately, Bertolli makes a Parm Rosa sauce you can use instead. Use 1 1/2 cups of it when the recipe tells you to add the marinara and alfredo sauces.

Source: Buca Di Beppo

So I pretty much doubled the recipe because we have big appetites around here, plus my husband likes to take the leftovers from dinner for lunch the next day. I also made lots and lots of chicken, and shredded it instead of slicing it. (Again, I'm a fan of shredded chicken). I thought this pasta was delicious. It's not something I'll eat very often though because it was SUPER strong, flavorful, and spicy. Not that anything is wrong with that, since I'm a fan of all three of those things, but it's just a bit much too have too often. Does that make sense? My husband felt the same way. Great dinner to eat, but maybe only a couple times a year. Of course, you could always cut down on the red pepper. That would probably help a lot.

Oh, and I left off the peas. Too sophisticated for me. ;-)