Need a fun twist on chicken alfredo? This fantastic chicken rigatoni recipe is smothered with bleu cheese, crispy bacon and pear slices.
If you love creamy chicken pasta, you’ll swoon over this delicious chicken rigatoni recipe topped with bleu cheese, crispy bacon, and juicy pear slices.
chicken Rigatoni – A Family Meal Idea
To say pasta is my favorite type of food would be a gross understatement. I truly think I could eat it every night of the week if my family would let me. For example, every year for my birthday, I try to have my mother’s spaghetti with homemade meatballs.
While I would classify spaghetti and meatballs as my most favorite meal, I’m not picky when it comes to Italian fare – I like all types of pasta! Cream-based or tomato-based sauces, chicken or beef, with and without vegetables, I enjoy them all… except for seafood pasta. I’ll pass on that!
I originally shared this creamy Chicken Rigatoni at Belle of the Kitchen where Ashlyn and I trade Ideas for the Kitchen once a month. This month, we decided pasta dishes would be a delicious trade so while I was there, Ashlyn brought over her recipe for homemade Macaroni and Cheese with Ham and Broccoli. Both recipes are packed with flavor for a luscious dinner to savor with friends, loved ones and a few garlic breadsticks.
How to Make Chicken rigatoni
The recipe I’m sharing today uses rigatoni but could be made with any shape pasta you prefer.
It’s topped with chunks of chicken and sliced pears in a creamy homemade bleu cheese sauce.
As if that wasn’t flavorful enough, before you serve the chicken rigatoni, you top it with bleu cheese crumbles, crispy bacon bits, and parsley. It will tantalize your tastebuds and knock your socks off!
Ingredients
Here’s what we put in our dish. You’ll find all the measurements and recipe details in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
So what do you do if you’re not a fan of bleu cheese? When I’m at a restaurant ordering pasta, my eyes immediately beeline for any entree with gorgonzola.
I actually used gorgonzola the first time I made this Chicken Rigatoni. I only replaced it with bleu cheese this time around because I grabbed it by accident at the grocery store.
The two cheese wedges look nearly identical in the dairy case. As I was preparing dinner that day, I realized my mistake and quickly sent a panicked text message to my younger brother, who’s an amazing cook. He assured me I could use bleu cheese instead of gorgonzola in my recipe.
I’m glad I listened because my husband, Kent, and I actually liked the Chicken Rigatoni better with the bleu cheese. If you prefer a milder cheese flavor, though, just know it’s still delicious if you want to replace the bleu cheese with gorgonzola.
How to Cook the chicken
To cook the chicken, I fried it in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. You could also use shredded chicken, which is really easy to make ahead of time in your slow cooker and freeze to use in recipes when you need it.
In the summer, though, I’d recommend grilling the chicken to add a little smoky flavor to the Chicken Rigatoni.
Mix 1/2 cup of bleu cheese into the cream sauce. Cook until the sauce has thickened, stirring frequently to prevent it from scalding.
Meanwhile, peel and slice the pears.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni for 8-10 minutes, per the instructions on the pasta box. Drain and rinse in a colander.
Return the rigatoni to the large pot. Carefully pour the bleu cheese sauce over the pasta. Toss in the sliced chicken and pears. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally until heated through and pears are tender.
Garnish with crumbled bacon, bleu cheese and fresh parsley, if desired prior to serving. Enjoy!
Here are a few of my favorite ways to serve my chicken rigatoni for dinner.
With Bread – serve it with a few breadsticks, garlic bread, or a warm loaf of sliced Italian bread.
Vegetables – Put your favorite salad or steamed veggies on the side.
Roasted Walnuts – this would give it a little nutty flavor.
Pasta is one of those dinners that is very versatile with so many different options for how you prepare or top it. What’s your favorite way to enjoy pasta with your family? Please comment below and share, we’re always looking for new ideas!
If you love pasta as much as I do, you’ll also want to check out these recipes –
Carrie is the chief writer, crafter and creator here at Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®. She's an optimist by nature and enjoys sharing recipes, trying new craft ideas, planning for parties and events as well as organizing and decorating. She and her husband, Kent live in Michigan. She also loves to hide away in a castle under the stairs reading to her two young boys and help guests plan vacations at Sunshine Villa at Glenbrook Resort, their short term vacation rental home in Orlando near Walt Disney World.
This is such a pretty dish and looks so tasty!Thanks for linking up at #PureBlogLove PIN LINK party. Remember our party rules have changed. We’d love to have you link a PIN LINK at our next party so we can add you to our #PureBlogLove CRAFT or FOOD BOARDS! We always comment right on the PINS and give them a love.! Looking forward to seeing your ideas at our next party!
They sure do, Lorelai! The pears add a nice sweet fruity flavor to the pasta dish that pairs well with the salty flavor from the bacon. Thanks for coming by from #HomeMattersParty!
I have to say I’m completely intrigued by the idea of serving pasta on top of pears. It seems…I don’t know odd texture-aly (sort of like my made up word, lol). I think I’d really enjoy these side by side though, and I happen to have some bleu cheese that needed a recipe to go with it. Thanks for sharing on Weekend Bites last week!
Adelina, thank you for checking out the recipe. I do hope you’ll give it a try. The pears add a nice sweet fruity flavor to the dish which I think works great with the bacon and bleu cheese. Do come back and let me know how you like it!
This looks delicious! YUM! Thank you so much for sharing with the Sat. Soiree & Social Media Share. You’re featured this week. I’m also a new follower to make sure I don’t miss a minute of your delicious site.
Oh Sarah Ann, you’ve made our day! Thank you so much for featuring the Chicken Rigatoni with Bleu Cheese, Bacon and Pears at your link party this week — and for following us too! We’ll be sure to return the favor of following you back wherever we can.
This seriously looks soooo yummy. I could definitely eat pasta everyday of the year, too! I haven’t had dinner yet and my mouth is definitely watering looking at this – time to put it on the meal plan!
This looks so good. What a great summer dish to make. Thanks for sharing over at the Snickerdoodle Sunday.
I hope you enjoy it, Felicia! Thanks for coming over from Snickerdoodle Sunday!
Stopping by from SITS! This looks yummy, I might have to give it a try. Thanks Carrie! 🙂
Hi Kimi! We’re honored you came from the SITS party to see the Chicken Rigatoni recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks Kyla! I’m so glad you came by to check out the recipe. Hope you give it a try!
This is such a pretty dish and looks so tasty!Thanks for linking up at #PureBlogLove PIN LINK party. Remember our party rules have changed. We’d love to have you link a PIN LINK at our next party so we can add you to our #PureBlogLove CRAFT or FOOD BOARDS! We always comment right on the PINS and give them a love.! Looking forward to seeing your ideas at our next party!
Thanks Diane! We appreciate the love – and the visit!
Looks yummy! Thanks for sharing your recipe at the Inspiration Spotlight Party! Pinned & shared! Hope to see you again soon!
Thanks, Theresa! I’m so glad you came to see the recipe from the Inspiration Spotlight Party.
I bet the pears add a delicious flavor to this meal. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty – we hope to see you again next week. 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
They sure do, Lorelai! The pears add a nice sweet fruity flavor to the pasta dish that pairs well with the salty flavor from the bacon. Thanks for coming by from #HomeMattersParty!
I have to say I’m completely intrigued by the idea of serving pasta on top of pears. It seems…I don’t know odd texture-aly (sort of like my made up word, lol). I think I’d really enjoy these side by side though, and I happen to have some bleu cheese that needed a recipe to go with it. Thanks for sharing on Weekend Bites last week!
Adelina, thank you for checking out the recipe. I do hope you’ll give it a try. The pears add a nice sweet fruity flavor to the dish which I think works great with the bacon and bleu cheese. Do come back and let me know how you like it!
This looks delicious! YUM! Thank you so much for sharing with the Sat. Soiree & Social Media Share. You’re featured this week. I’m also a new follower to make sure I don’t miss a minute of your delicious site.
Oh Sarah Ann, you’ve made our day! Thank you so much for featuring the Chicken Rigatoni with Bleu Cheese, Bacon and Pears at your link party this week — and for following us too! We’ll be sure to return the favor of following you back wherever we can.
This seriously looks soooo yummy. I could definitely eat pasta everyday of the year, too! I haven’t had dinner yet and my mouth is definitely watering looking at this – time to put it on the meal plan!
It’s crazy delicious, Erica. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Let me know how it turns out for you.