Chicken Rigatoni in a Creamy Tomato Sauce

The other day I was trapped under a sleeping baby while my older son was watching Curious George. After Curious George ended, a cooking show came on. I'm always looking for inspiration so I decided to watch it. The woman went on to make a delicious rigatoni dish with chicken, herbs, tomatoes, cheeses and heavy cream. I thought it sounded amazing but I wanted to try to make it just a little bit healthier. So I decided to substitute Greek yogurt for the heavy cream and I was thrilled with the "skinny" results. Enjoy!

Chicken Rigatoni in a Creamy Tomato Sauce 


What You'll Need:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs,
  cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon of Rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon of Savory
• 2 Bay Leaves
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes (I used the Fire-Roasted Garlic because I love the flavor.)
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek Yogurt 
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
• Rigatoni pasta, cooked to package directions

Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook on all sides until golden brown, approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

*Note: You could use chicken breasts if you prefer. I just prefer cooking with thighs when I can because they don't dry out or get tough and are much more flavorful, in my opinion.

Reduce heat to MEDIUM and add onion, garlic, rosemary, savory and bay leaves to pan. You may add a little extra olive oil if needed. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have softened, approximately 10 minutes. Turn heat back up to HIGH and add the red wine and boil until reduced, approximately 5 minutes.

Return chicken to pan and add tomatoes. Reduce heat to LOW and simmer covered until sauce has thickened, approximately 20-30 minutes. While this is cooking, prepare your pasta. 

Once sauce has thickened, remove the bay leaves and discard. Add the Greek yogurt and Parmesan cheese.  Stir well. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Toss pasta with sauce and serve immediately. Top with more Parmesan, if desired. Enjoy!