Chicken Rigatoni (Rigatoni Fiorentina) | Don’t Bacon My Heart

This creamy Chicken Rigatoni Fiorentina features a smoky tomato sauce, juicy chicken, and tender spinach for a rich and comforting pasta dinner.

What sets it apart from others is its combination of taste and convenience. This recipe uses simple store-bought ingredients to make incredibly delicious and delicious chicken rigatoni. Follow me…

Chicken Rigatoni

If you’ve been around here any time, you know that I’m a huge fan of chicken and pasta, and as chicken pasta recipes go, this one is pretty special.

For this recipe, we will slice up some chicken breasts right through the middle to make 4 cutlets of the same size. ‘Why’ you ask? Two reasons:

• Speed – Halving the chicken breasts will cook them faster.
• Even cook – dividing it in half will also make the chicken cook more evenly.

It’s also a good idea to use thinner pieces of chicken when combining with the pasta, so that everything is more homogeneous and the chicken mixes well.

Fried chicken

Frying chicken is great when combined with pasta, because you can do it spent all the taste (aka ‘like’) in the baking dish when finished. Once the chicken is seasoned, you only need a small amount oil and butter Fry the chicken until slightly charred and cooked.

Shooting process: cut the chicken (photo 1), season it (photo 2), add oil and butter to the pan (photo 3), fry then remove (photo 4).

Rigatoni Fiorentina Sauce

Fiorentina sauce really ticks all the boxes, at least on this blog. This is basically a creamy tomato pasta sauce it’s full of spinach, parmesan And lots of flavors. To break it down a bit:

• Tomato – this comes from tomato puree (tomato paste in the US). I like to fry them for about a minute to sweeten them and take out the ‘bite’.
• Cream – heavy (UK) double cream (US) is important for the fullest flavor and creamier texture.
• parmesan – make sure it is still freshly grated so it blends easily with the sauce.
• Spinach – at first it will seem like a lot, but it will decrease. I throw it in right at the end so it doesn’t get too wet.
• Extra taste – Garlic is mandatory, sautéed in the remaining chicken fat. I also like to add chicken stock to help make the sauce, along with some simple store-bought seasonings.

Deglaze with white wine

One of the other ingredients is white wine, which is great for deglazing pans after frying tomato puree. It also provides a sense of beautiful background And cut through the rich sauce. If you can’t use wine, simply add more stock or leave it out.

Shooting process: fry garlic (photo 1), fry tomato puree (photo 2), cook wine then add broth and cream (photo 3), add parmesan and spices then cook slowly (photo 4), add pasta then add spinach (photo 5), add chicken (photo 6).

How to serve Chicken Rigatoni

Once everything is mixed, serve immediately (the sauce will thicken quickly). If the sauce is too thick, add a little more excess pasta water to dilute it as needed. From there, you can add extra parmesan if your heart desires.

This is a pretty delicious pasta recipe, but if you want to go full comfort food, then Garlic Bread is always welcome!

Leftovers will keep perfectly in the refrigerator for several days. You can reheat it in the microwave until hot again, or add it to a pan with a little milk or stock and reheat over low heat until hot again.

OK, let’s just look at the complete recipe for chicken rigatoni, shall we?!

How to Make the Best Chicken Rigatoni (Full Recipe & Video)

• Sharp Knives & Cutting Boards

• Large Pot and Tongs

• Wooden Spoon

• Large Pot & Colander (for pasta)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

• In a small saucepan or bowl, combine the chicken seasoning.

• Use a knife to slice each breast horizontally right down the middle to create 4 equal sized fillets. Coat both sides of each piece of meat evenly with the seasoning.

• Add the oil and butter to a large, deep saucepan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and fry on both sides for about 3 minutes, or until lightly charred with the chicken almost cooked through in the middle. Remove from the pan and place on a plate to one side, leaving any excess fat in the pan. Slice the chicken into thin strips just before needing.

• Reduce the heat to medium, then add the garlic and fry for 10-20 seconds (be careful not to burn). Add the tomato puree and fry briefly, then pour in the wine. Simmer for a few minutes to reduce the wine until it has almost evaporated, and the strong alcoholic smell is gone.

• At this point, you can add the pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain if necessary, reserving a cup of the starchy pasta water.

• Stir the stock and cream into a saucepan, then stir in the Parmesan and seasonings until everything is combined. Bring to a boil and cook the sauce for about 5-7 minutes until thickened. Stir in the remaining liquid from the chicken, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

• Stir in the drained pasta, thinning with a little of the remaining pasta water if necessary. Add the spinach until wilted, then add the chicken until everything is coated in the sauce. Again, thin with a little pasta water if necessary, just make sure the sauce thickens and sticks to the pasta in the end.

• Serve with extra parmesan if desired, then tuck in and enjoy!

a) Chicken – chicken doesn’t take long to cook; a few minutes each side will succeed. Keep in mind that it will continue to cook slightly as it sits and when added back to the pan. Don’t waste any flavor from the leftover juice it produces while resting!
b) Rigatoni – the recipe is classically made with Rigatoni, but, realistically, any short cut tube pasta would be delicious.Â
c) Wine – this removes the rich sauce and gives a ‘restaurant quality’ finish. It is important to cook alcohol; otherwise, the sauce will be too sour. If you can’t use wine, leave it alone.
d) Spinach – it seems like a lot, and it might be a little difficult to stir it into the pasta at first, but it will wilt a LOT. I like to remove very large stems first, but this is optional.
e) Calories – divide the entire recipe by 4, assuming no additional parmesan.

Calories: 735kcal | Carbohydrate: 68.06G | Proteins: 35.31G | Fat: 35.29G | Saturated fat: 18.62G | Polyunsaturated fats: 2,628G | Monounsaturated fats: 11,285G | Trans Fat: 0.227G | Cholesterol: 159mg | Sodium: 833mg | Potassium: 822mg | Fiber: 9.6G | Sugar: 3.39G | vitamin A: 3922IU | Vitamin C: 10.7mg | Calcium: 203mg | Iron: 2.95mg

For another delicious rigatoni recipe, check out my One Pot Spicy Rigatoni!

For other similar recipes, check out these recipes:

Chicken Pasta Recipe