Chicken Riggies And Scarole With Soul Recipes

WICKED CHICKEN RIGGIES

Steps:

• For the hot sauce: In a blender, carefully blenderize the chipotle peppers, serrano chiles and pepper oil. This stuff is hot! Be careful with splatter! Reserve.
• For the chicken: In a large braiser or saucepot, warm 3/4 cup of the olive oil over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper, cayenne and red pepper flakes. Stir well and cook until the onions are translucent.
• Stir the fresh chopped bell peppers into the onion mixture. Stir to coat. Add the reserved hot sauce. Continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato sauce, heavy cream, Romano and sugar. Whisk well!
• Lower the heat until the sauce slightly bubbles, and stir well. Turn the heat to low or off while sauteing the chicken strips and cooking the rigatoni noodles.
• When the sauce is nearing doneness, cook the rigatoni noodles according to package directions. I like to pre-cook my pasta for sauteed pasta dishes such as this. Pre-cooking rigatoni to near doneness, straining and holding at room temperature, or completely chilling down if holding for several hours or more and then dunking in hot, boiling water prior to sauteing works well.
• For the chicken saute, heat a large saute pan with the remaining olive oil. First, sprinkle the chicken strips with 1 teaspoon salt (more or less), and add to the hot olive oil, one layer at a time. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches if necessary. Add a dash of black pepper if desired. Flip and shake the chicken pieces around in the hot pan to sear all sides. Cook until opaque and lightly brown, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
• Toss the tomato sauce and chicken in a large bowl in half-batches, or altogether. Pour onto a serving platter or individual pasta bowls. Garnish with locatelli cheese and reserved fresh scallions.

CHICKEN STEW FOR THE SOUL

Steps:

• In a large pot, cover the chicken with water, and bring to a full boil. Reduce heat, add chicken bouillon cubes and onion, and continue cooking chicken at a low boil until chicken is done, but not quite falling off the bone, approximately 30 minutes. Turn off the heat; remove the chicken from broth and remove skin and bones. Cut up and return to the broth-heat still off. Mix flour, salt, and mace in a large bowl. Crumble the butter into the flour with a fork, and add the eggs and milk. Mix with a strong wooden spoon until the dough is smooth. Divide dough into four portions to make it easy to work with. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Put the broth back on the heat and bring to a rolling boil. Cut the rolled-out dough into 2 to 3-inch squares and drop them into the boiling broth. Stir occasionally to keep the dough from sticking together as it boils. After all the dough has been dropped in the pot, turn the heat down to low, and simmer the "pop-eye", lid on, for about 20 minutes. When it becomes irresistibly creamy and thick.

CHICKEN RIGGIES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add rigatoni pasta and cook until tender yet firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and keep warm.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and cook in the hot oil until lightly browned on all sides, and no longer pink in the center, about 7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and keep warm.
• Stir onion, Cubanelle peppers, and garlic into the skillet. Cook and stir until onion softens, about 4 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and hot cherry peppers. Bring to a simmer. Stir in cooked chicken and heavy cream; simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in cooked pasta.
• Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.