Utica Chicken Riggies

Chicken, onion, bell peppers, cherry peppers, garlic, marinara, white wine, and heavy cream come together to make a spectacular pasta sauce. Rigatoni pasta is finished cooking in the sauce. Cut about a pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs into small chunks. Toss with salt and pepper. Heat a pat of butter and a few splashes of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken down.Toss in 1/4 of a small onion, sliced, and 1/2 of a yellow bell pepper, sliced. Toss and allow to cook for a few minutes. Get a pot of salted water going and bring it up to a boil. Prep some cherry peppers by removing the stems, about 3 to 6 sweet cherry peppers. Toss them in the skillet. Cook with the chicken, onion, and bell pepper for a minute or two. Toss in about three roughly chopped garlic cloves. Toss and allow to cook for a minute. Pour in about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of dry white wine. Bring to a good simmer for about a minute or two. Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of marinara sauce. Toss the contents of the skillet, then squeeze in or cut in two or three whole canned tomatoes. Get about a 1/2 pound of the Rigatoni pasta dropped into the boiling water. With the heat on medium-low, add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and about 1/2 cup of fresh grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Toss the cheese into the cream until incorporated. Sprinkle in a few pinches of red pepper flakes if desired. Toss in a couple of tablespoons of sliced green onion. Combine well and allow to simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes over medium-low heat until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add additional pepper, salt, and cheese to desired taste.I f the sauce is too acidic, add some more heavy cream, two tablespoons at a time. If the sauce is too rich, add 1/2 tsp of the cherry pepper juice from the jar, tossing and tasting until you reach your desired taste. Once the pasta is about a minute from being done, place the pasta into the sauce. Reserve the pasta water.Toss well, turn the heat off, and cover. Let sit for about 5 minutes to tighten up. If to thick add some pasta water, if to thin.......... let it sit some more time. Toss the skillet before serving. Serve. Enjoy