When we’ve been fortunate to eat at Maggianos, there is always one go-to dish that my family loves. We never go home without ordering it.
You guessed it. It’s Rigatoni D.
I have to admit that I’ve been working on recreating this recipe for years (and years). According to my family, this dish tastes very close to Maggiano’s but the sauce is thicker than the original version.
Give it a try and let me know what you think!
I like larger chunks of mushrooms in this dish. Use fresh herbs. You won’t be sorry.
Don’t over saute the mushroom mixture. Cook until edges are slightly browned and tender.
Add the chicken with the wine and reduce until it’s almost all absorbed. Since the chicken is already cooked, you don’t want it to get tough by overcooking it – which can happen if you add it too soon.
(If you want to use raw chicken, sauté the pieces in oil until lightly golden, remove from pan and set aside. Continue then with the recipe by sautéing the onions, etc.).
Here is the finished dish.
Drooling yet? I am.
Rigatoni 'W' (slightly revised version of Maggiano's Rigatoni 'D')
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Rigatoni pasta (Barilla is my fav) - boil until barely al dente
- 2 C rotisserie chicken - shredded into small-medium pieces
- 2 T oil
- 4 tsp butter, softened
- 1 large onion - chopped
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 16 oz. white mushrooms - halved or quartered (or button if you can find them)
- 2 T fresh Italian parsley - chopped
- 2 T fresh basil - chopped
- 1/2 C of dry Marsala wine *(see my note below)
- 2 C heavy cream **
- 1 T flour or cornstarch
- 1/2 C shredded or grated parmesan (the fresh stuff - not powdered)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Heat the oil and 2T of butter in a large, deep sauté pan over med-low heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Slow cook the onions until golden and caramelized, adjusting the temperature as necessary. This should take about 20-25 minutes.
Add the garlic and sauté another minute until fragrant.
Add the mushrooms, parsley, and basil to the pan along with another 2 T of butter. Sauté this until mushrooms absorb the butter and edges soften, approximately 3-4 minutes.
Add the wine and simmer until reduced to nearly all is absorbed, about 8-15 minutes. (This is a good time to get your pasta going).
In a small bowl, whisk together 1 C of cream with the flour until there aren't any lumps. (If you like a thicker sauce, add more cornstarch. If you like a thinner sauce, add less).
Add the cream/flour mixture to the pan and stir. Cook for a couple more minutes to thicken the sauce.
Add the chicken, Parmesan cheese, and remaining cream. Once the cheese has melted, add the remaining 2 T of butter.
With a slotted spoon, remove pasta from boiling water and add to the chicken mixture. If you want to loosen the sauce, add a little bit of the pasta water to the pan.***
Serve immediately.
Notes
*If you can help it, don't use the Marsala cooking wine you find at the grocery store. I have found it leaves an undesirable, almost bitter, aftertaste. Get a bottle of the real stuff (dry, not sweet) in the fortified wine section of a liquor store. It'll make a huge difference in the flavor of the sauce.
** If you want a slightly lighter version of this sauce, substitute with 1 C heavy cream and 1 C of half and half, milk, or even chicken broth. It'll change the flavor slightly and won't be as rich, but it is still great.
***Interesting fact: Pasta water will thin out a heavy cream sauce but thickens an oil-based sauce.
You might want to just use the actual recipe….
https://www.maggianos.com/blog/our-famous-rigatoni-d-recipe
Thank you Stacy. I’ll have to give it a try. One of the things my family likes about my version is that the sauce is a little thicker than the original Maggiano’s dish and coats the pasta nicely. The best thing about this dish is the flavors!