Spicy Chicken & Bacon Rigatoni
with Roasted Zucchini & Parmesan
- Wheat
- Milk
There are so many delicious flavors in this spicy rigatoni dish, from the smoky bacon to the savory seared chicken and herb-roasted zucchini, to the umami-rich Parmesan and garlic. Crème fraîche adds a touch of rich creaminess, and a pinch of chili flakes adds complexity and just a kiss of heat. We fondly call it “chicken riggies” (as we do with any combination of chicken and rigatoni), but you can call it a 30-minute slam dunk in a bowl! “Chicken riggies” is really fun to say, though. Highly recommend.
Ingredients
6 ounce
Rigatoni Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
4 ounce
Bacon
10 ounce
Chopped Chicken Breast
1 unit
Tomato Paste
1 unit
Onion
1 unit
Zucchini
4 tablespoon
Crème Fraîche
(Contains: Milk)
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Chili Flakes
1 teaspoon
Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
Not included in your delivery
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
2 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Heat a large dry pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon*; cook, turning occasionally and adjusting heat if browning too quickly, until crispy, 6-10 minutes. Turn off heat; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop. • Carefully discard all but a thin layer of bacon fat from pan.
• Once water is boiling, add rigatoni to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain. • While pasta cooks, trim and halve zucchini lengthwise; cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick half-moons. Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion.
• Toss zucchini on a baking sheet with a large drizzle of oil, half the oregano (all for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. Roast on top rack until golden brown and tender, 14-16 minutes. • Meanwhile, pat chicken* dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper. • Return pan with bacon fat to medium-high heat. (TIP: If pan seems dry, add a drizzle of oil.) Add chicken in a single layer; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Turn off heat; transfer to a plate. Wipe out pan.
• Return pan used for chicken to medium heat. Add a drizzle of oil and onion; season with garlic powder, a pinch of chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to soften, 2-3 minutes. • Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly darkened, 30-60 seconds. • Add ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water (¾ cup for 4 servings) and 2 TBSP butter (4 TBSP for 4). Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 2-3 minutes.
• Reduce heat under pan with sauce to low. Stir in drained rigatoni, zucchini, chicken, and crème fraîche until everything is evenly coated in sauce. TIP: If sauce seems too thick, add splashes of reserved pasta cooking water 1 TBSP at a time. • Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
• Divide pasta between shallow bowls; top with bacon and Parmesan. Sprinkle with as many remaining chili flakes as you like. Serve.
Bacon is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 145°.
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the dish's rich taste, though some found it bland; adding extra herbs or stock can boost flavor 🍲.
- Ease of prep: While tasty, some felt it was time-consuming with multiple steps; consider streamlining for quicker preparation.
- Suggestions: Consider using less onion, more sauce, and smaller pasta shapes like penne for better balance.
- Portions: Generous servings satisfied most, with enough for leftovers; some found it calorie-dense due to bacon.
- Veggies: Roasted zucchini was a hit; try adding extra vegetables like mushrooms or spinach for more nutrition.
Reviews from our home cooks
I'm still fairly new to cooking by recipe, so the estimated 30 minutes took me more like 50-60. This recipe was actually pretty easy to make as long as you can multitask! I used half an onion because I was unsure if I was supposed to use a whole one and I was given a yellow squash instead of zucchini. Besides that I didn't deter much from the recipe besides adding the rest of the leftover oregano to the chicken as it cooked. My brother even liked this dish and he's a picky eater!
My last choice of the week and I was skeptical. My wife and I actually really enjoyed this dish. The bacon could have been a little thinner... I like thick cut bacon, but this took a long time to get crispy.
This meal was really yummy. Lots of good flavor. I hope this shows up regularly. It was a hit for the whole family.
This was a tasty pasta dish. It did take quite a few dishes to prepare - pot, sheet pan, pan.
Meh. Under the flavor of the red pepper flakes, there really was nothing else as far as taste. And it was not because of enough salt. I ended up adding chicken stock concentrate to perk up the flavor. That might be something to consider. Also, the rigatoni noodles actually fell apart as they were cooking into ribbons. That, too, was pretty disappointing. Not sure if they were old and too dried out, or what.
Very good and flavorful. I think the zucchini was unnecessary as it didn't have much taste, but I guess it is nice for color.
Pretty high on calories with the bacon, but it sure did taste great
Very good! Zucchini was yellow. We chopped the onion instead of slicing. Just personal preference.
Very good even with squash instead of zucchini (not sure why I got yellow squash)
We loved this. It was easy to split into separate halves of the dish for the kid-friendly side and adult side. Would definitely get this one again.
