Spicy Vodka Rigatoni with Chicken Cutlets

My Spicy Vodka Rigatoni combines a creamy, spicy vodka sauce tossed with al dente pasta and topped with sliced chicken cutlets. This dish can be found in many Italian-American restaurants in the New York area, but is even better when made at home!

A New York Favorite

My spicy vodka rigatoni with chicken is inspired by a dish served at many Italian-American restaurants in the New York area. Carbone restaurant is known for its spicy rigatoni vodka, but many other restaurants serve their own version. I recently enjoyed this dish at La Famiglia in Smithtown, NY, and they topped theirs with burrata – I highly recommend doing that! I wonder if their inspiration for this dish comes from Utica’s chicken riggies…

My version includes both vodka and white wine for flavor, and Calabrian chili paste for the heat. If you can’t have spice, just eliminate the Calabrian chili paste, and it will still be great!

Spicy vodka rigatoni is great served with a side of garlic sauteed broccoli rabe and crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Recipe Ingredients

All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.

• Pasta. Rigatoni or paccheri work great for this dish, but you could also use penne or ziti.
• Chicken cutlets (not pictured). Chicken breasts, breadcrumbs, flour, and egg are used to bread the cutlets, and olive oil is used to fry. This is a great recipe to use up leftovers after making my Italian chicken cutlets.
• Sauce. I’m using canned crushed tomatoes, sauvignon blanc, vodka, and heavy cream for the sauce, along with onion and garlic.
• Calabrian chili paste. This ingredient is added to the sauce and is what makes the dish spicy! If you can’t tolerate spice, you can omit or use less than called for in my recipe. Be sure to taste test your Calabrian chili paste because they’re not all created equal. I’ve found that the Cento brand paste tends to be spicier than others, like Trader Joe’s bomba sauce. So taste-test and adjust as needed.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. Fillet the breasts and pound to about a 1/4-inch thick. If you purchased cutlets that are already thinly sliced, you shouldn’t need to pound them out.
2. Dredge the cutlets in the flour, dip in the beaten eggs, and coat with the breadcrumbs, then place on a parchment paper-lined sheet.

3. Fill a heavy pan with 1-inch high oil, heat to 360°F, then place the cutlets in the oil to fry.
4. Fry for 3-4 minutes per side working in batches to avoid overcrowding, then remove and place on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain.
5. In a large pan over medium heat saute the onions in olive oil until soft, then add the garlic and cook until golden, about 1-2 minutes.
6. Add the Calabrian chili paste to the pan and cook for 30 seconds.

7. Add the white wine and vodka and turn the heat to medium-high.
8. Let the alcohol cook for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and bring to a lively simmer for 5 minutes.
9. Turn the heat to low, add the cream, stir, and allow the sauce to simmer on low heat.
10. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until slightly less cooked than al dente, and slice the chicken cutlets into strips, width-wise.

11. Remove half of the sauce from the pan and set it aside. Add the pasta to the sauce and cook until al dente.
12. Remove from the heat and add the grated Pecorino Romano and butter. Taste test and adjust salt, pepper, and Calabrian chili paste. If the sauce is too thick, add a touch of pasta water to loosen it up. Place the spicy rigatoni vodka in a platter and top with the sliced cutlets and some of the reserved sauce. Top with parsley and serve!

More pasta recipes

If you love spicy vodka rigatoni with chicken cutlets, give these other recipes a try!

• Rigatoni alla vodka
• Spicy creamy mushroom pasta
• Chicken Alfredo pasta