Schweitzer Family Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 pound rigatoni
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 pound smoked andouille sausage, sliced
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 celery ribs, diced
• 5–6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, as needed
• 2 tablespoons butter, as needed
• 2–3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, divided, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 1/2–2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
• Black pepper, to taste
• Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2–3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1–2 teaspoons Kitchen Bouquet (optional, for deeper color and flavor)
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/3 cup green onions, sliced
• Louisiana-style hot sauce, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Up to 1 cup reserved pasta water, as needed

Instructions

1. Season the chicken with about half of the Cajun seasoning.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the andouille aggressively until it renders some fat and develops good color, about 4–5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
3. Brown the chicken in the rendered andouille fat, adding a little olive oil if needed. Work in batches if necessary so the chicken browns instead of steaming. It does not need to cook completely through. Remove and set aside with the sausage.
4. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter if the pot is dry, then add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook 8–10 minutes, scraping up the browned fond, until the vegetables are very soft and beginning to pick up color.
5. Add the garlic, fresh thyme, smoked paprika, remaining Cajun seasoning, black pepper, and cayenne if using. Cook for 30–60 seconds until fragrant.
6. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce. Add about 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and thoroughly deglaze the pot, scraping up everything from the bottom. Let the liquid reduce substantially before continuing.
7. Add the remaining chicken stock and bay leaves. Return the chicken and andouille to the pot and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Add Kitchen Bouquet at this stage if using.
8. While the meat simmers, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. If the rigatoni package lists 12 minutes for al dente, cook it for about 10 minutes. Taste around 9 1/2–10 minutes; the center should be noticeably firm but not crunchy. Reserve at least 1 cup pasta water before draining.
9. Add the heavy cream to the meat and stock mixture and bring to a gentle simmer; do not hard-boil the cream.
10. Add the undercooked rigatoni and simmer in the sauce for about 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the pasta finishes cooking and absorbs some of the seasoned sauce.
11. Reduce the heat to very low or remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan a handful at a time. Add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
12. Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust Cajun seasoning, salt, black pepper, cayenne, Worcestershire, or hot sauce as desired.
13. Fold in most of the fresh parsley and green onions immediately before serving. Reserve a little of each for garnish.