If you go anywhere outside of Central New York and mention "Riggies" - people are bound to look at you like you have seven heads. It's a staple for us!
Its was so sad to hear that cooking icon Michael Geno, who was reported to be fighting for his life after suddenly falling ill last week, passed away earlier this week. Chef Geno was part of the generation that created dishes like Greens (Morelle) Utica, our Utica Tomato Pie and of course, Chicken Riggies.
One of the biggest cooking questions in Upstate New York is "What's the real Utica Chicken Riggies recipe?" I had the opportunity to have that question answered when I did a guest spot on the "Aqua Vino's Cooking with Geno' show which plays on YouTube.
Utica’s legendary Chicken Riggies dish is a ‘one of a kind’ in the Greater Utica area and it’s getting more and more popular across Upstate New York. Today, there are all different variations of the classic Utica dish; but, there’s only one original recipe. So, if you’re goal is to make it authentic, you’ll need the original recipe in this story and you’ll also need to avoid some key mistakes.