Best 6 Rachael Ray Chicken Ragu Recipes

PULLED CHICKEN RAGU AND RIGATONI

Steps:

• Place the chicken thighs and breasts in a medium pot with the carrots, celery, quartered onion and bay leaves. Sprinkle with salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer to cook through and flavor the stock, 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a shallow dish until cool enough to handle. Strain the stock and reserve the meat.
• Place the dried mushrooms in a small pot and cover with 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the stock. Bring to a simmer until the mushrooms are reconstituted, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Remove the meat from the chicken bones, discarding the skin and bones, and pull into small pieces. You will need only the dark meat. (Reserve the white meat for another use, such as Creamy Chicken and Noodles.)
• Heat the EVOO over medium-high heat in the pot used to cook the chicken. Cook the pancetta to render, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chopped onion, garlic and rosemary, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until the onions are tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, pour in the wine and cook until reduced by half. Return the pulled chicken into the pot with 2 cups of the reserved stock. (Reserve the remaining chicken stock for another recipe, such as Creamy Chicken and Noodles.)
• Chop the reconstituted mushrooms and add them into the sauce along with their liquid. Simmer to thicken the sauce, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta to al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking liquid just before draining. Toss the pasta with the sauce and starchy water. Mix in some pecorino, and serve with more to pass at the table. Garnish with grassy flat-leaf parsley.
• Cook's Note: Cool and store the sauce for a make-ahead meal. Bring to room temperature before reheating over medium heat. Cook the pasta right before serving.

CHICKEN LIVER AND HEART RAGU

Steps:

• Place the porcinis in a small saucepan, cover with the chicken stock and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Let simmer and reconstitute for 10 to 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the porcinis to a cutting board and chop them. Reserve the cooking liquid.
• Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add the carrots, onions and garlic to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Add the chicken livers and hearts, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the sage, juniper, rosemary, bay leaf and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the red wine and vermouth and let simmer for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon. Add the porcini liquid, making sure the grit in the bottom of the pot does not get added. Stir and then let the ragu simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.

PORK RAGU

Steps:

• Heat a Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, then add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Stir in the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook the vegetables until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute, then add the wine and cook for another minute. Stir in the stock and bring sauce to a simmer. Add the pork and season with a pinch of ground cloves. When the sauce returns to a simmer add the milk and reduce the heat to low. Let the sauce mellow while you bring the water to boil for the pasta or polenta. Sauce may be made ahead and reheated over medium-low heat. Add a splash of stock or water to thin the sauce, if necessary. Serve the sauce tossed with pasta ribbons or atop creamy bowls of polenta and garnish with lots of cheese and parsley.

LONG LIVE THE CHICKEN A LA KING!

Steps:

• Preheat oven according to package directions for biscuits. Arrange biscuits on nonstick baking sheet and sprinkle with a little ground cayenne pepper or sweet paprika then place biscuits into a preheated oven. Bake until golden, remove biscuits from oven and then cool.
• In a medium skillet, bring 1 cup white wine and 2 cups chicken broth and 1 bay leaf to a boil. Slide in chicken breasts and gently poach them in simmering broth and wine for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Preheat a second skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts into oil, add mushrooms and onion and cook 5 minutes until tender. Add flour and cook another minute.
• Pull chicken from broth and set on cutting board. Ladle cooking liquid into the mushrooms, whisking it in. Add 2 to 2 1/2 cups of liquid and discard the bay leaf. Add pimentos and peas to the sauce. Dice chicken into bite-size pieces and slide into bubbling sauce.
• Split the biscuits, place bottoms on dinner plates and cover with ladles of Chicken a la King. Cap with biscuit tops and garnish with chopped parsley.

CRIMINI RAGU WITH SPINACH CROSTINI AND CHICKEN RAGU WITH WHOLE WHEAT PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook to al dente, drain and keep warm.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Scatter sliced bread on baking sheet, toast until crisp but not too dry, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Quarter mushrooms. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Once the mushrooms have started to brown add 3 to 4 large cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
• While mushrooms cook, begin chicken ragu. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Brown the pancetta 3 to 4 minutes then add chicken and brown evenly 5 to 6 minutes. Add the onions to the chicken. Grate the carrot and stir in with the rosemary, bay and a couple of cloves of garlic, grated or finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper and cook until vegetables are soft.
• Add the Marsala to chicken and vegetables, stir and reduce a minute then add tomatoes and crush with wooden spoon. Simmer a few minutes to thicken and combine flavors.
• When the mushrooms are tender, season with salt and pepper. Chop the spinach coarsely then stir in to wilt. Add in a few grates of nutmeg, stir in vinegar then a splash of cream. Transfer the mushrooms to a small bowl and serve with toasted bread for topping.
• Toss the pasta with the chicken ragu and cheese. Garnish with some torn basil and serve immediately.

QUICK CHICKEN CACCIATORE

Steps:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add half of the extra-virgin olive oil and brown chicken breasts or thighs for 3 or 4 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan and season with salt and pepper.
• Return pan to stove, reduce heat to medium and add the remaining. Add crushed pepper, sliced mushrooms, and garlic. Season with salt (salt is a magnet for drawing out liquid). Cover and cook mushrooms 5 minutes or until mushrooms are dark, tender and have given off their juices. Add about 1/2 cup of beef broth to intensify the wild mushroom flavor, then stir in the tomatoes and parsley. Cut the chicken into bite-size chunks or slices and add to sauce. Simmer sauce 5 minutes to finish cooking chicken pieces and to allow the flavors to combine. Toss pasta with cacciatore and serve with crusty bread and grated cheese.
• Tidbits: Beef broth and stock is now available in resealable paper containers, which can be found on the soup aisle of your market. These paper containers make storage of remaining broth easier; keep some on hand in your refrigerator. Beef broth is used instead of chicken broth in this recipe because it pairs better with the beefy taste of portobello mushrooms. The broth will make your cacciatore taste as if it simmered all day because it accents the mushroom taste well.
• Depending on your brand, 1 large can of tomatoes can vary in weight from 28 to 32 ounces. Use your favorite, but check to make sure the product is sugar free.