Carmela's Chicken Rigatoni (Copycat Romano's Macaroni Grill)

We love this recipe! I make only a few changes based on my experience with cooking this several times already. The first time I made it, I thought there was too much oil/butter so on subsequent occasions, I've reduced the "6 oz. butter flavored oil" to 2 oz. butter and 2 oz. extra virgin olive oil. The oil becomes a lot more noticeable with leftovers so you could reduce it even more if you don't plan on eating it all the day you make it. I only use 16 oz. rigatoni since that's the standard size package at the grocery store, and really, that is a lot. It's dinner for 4 plus leftovers for lunch for 2 people for 2 days. I also don't "precook" the pasta. I just boil it right before I start the first two steps of this recipe and I turn it off a minute or two before it's al dente so it can sit in the hot water and finish cooking until I'm ready to put it in with the rest of the ingredients. Other than these minor changes, I follow the recipe exactly. I use Rrs Caramelized Onions (Rr's Caramelized Onions) and Marsala cooking wine for this dish and it tastes great! The last time I only had about 4 oz. Marsala so I filled in with 2 oz. Cooking Sherry and it was great then too. As a time saver, I use the frozen grilled chicken strips from Costco that I weigh out on my kitchen scale for 12 oz. and I defrost in the microwave for about 4 minutes before cutting up and adding to the sautee. I've used both fresh and canned mushrooms and they both work great. The recipe doesn't specify if the basil should be fresh or dried, but I've used the full 2 tsp dried and I don't think it's too much. I like basil though so you might want to experiment with that. The only real time consuming part of this recipe is the caramelized onions, which can be made ahead of course, so this can be a fast, easy and very tasty weeknight dish with a little planning ahead. Thanks so much for sharing this WONDERFUL recipe!

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OMG!!! I worked at the Mac Shack for 3 years and this was always one of my many favorite dishes! Now that I've moved out to booneyville the closest M.G. is 1.5 hours away and I get cravings! I was skeptical but excited when I found this recipe, so my husband and I decided to whip it up. We added sundried tomatos and garlic which I highly reccommend. It turned out fan-freakin-tastic! Just like good ole' M.G.!

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Yum!! This recipe truly tastes like Macaroni Grill's Carmella sauce. I love the Chicken Rigatoni at MC, but my true fave is the Mushroom Ravioli which is also topped with Carmella's sauce. I made the sauce from this recipe to go with my Mushroom ravioli. It was delicious and authentic to MC's Carmella's sauce. I followed the recipe exactly except for substituting 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil for the "butter flavored oil". Wonderful!!!

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thisThis tastes just like carmella's! It is perfect.
I too used marsalla wine. I also used 3 oz olive oil and 3 oz salted butter. I did go and buy already grilled chicken breast just to save some time. I made the carmelized onions, 4 medium onions makes exactly 6 oz. The onions were time consuming but well worth it. I will not have to go to macaroni grill again. This tastes just like my favorite dish

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pretty yummy dish!! didn't have mushrooms. seasoned the chicken with garlic/onion mix before grilling. used asiago, didn't have parm. thanks for a quick, yummy recipe!!

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This was the 1st time i made this... i put 2 tsp dried basil plus 2tsp fresh, and garlic to the sauce. Reviews are right, the caramelized onions are worth it!! I just wish i did more so i could serve on top before serving :)

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I heart this recipe. It's so easy and tastes SOOO yummy. I used Marsala wine and olive oil with a little butter... Delicious

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Our whole family loves this recipe...our grandson had seconds and thirds...and he's only 5 years old!

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This is a great recipe! I worked at Macaroni Grill for five years and everything is correct in this recipe although, You will find if you use "Marsala" cooking wine it will be exactly like Macaroni grill, it is the wine used in the original. I'm making it tonight and I'm even making some rosemary bread!

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I am a huge fan of the Macaroni grill! Thank GOD I live over 100 miles from the closest one! LOL, but this recipie is as good as I remember the restaurant food. (No crayons on the tablecloth here) I followed the directions to a T, it made a ton as there is only 2 of us most times, and this is going into a GREATS file. Thanks so much for posting. It is easy and delicious.PS:I also used Kittencal's Perfect Carmelized Onions for this dish. I found this HAD to have the fresh grated parmesan to have the flavor of the Macaroni Grill. I dry grilled chicken strips for stir fry for this and cut them into bite sized pieces but found one pkg wasn't quite enough-I had some frozen grilled chicken I had purchased at Sam's Club for easy dinners and used some of that to fill the quota and it was superb. It added the extra something flavor. I will have this in rotation again soon.

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Delicious! I've never had this at Macaroni Grill so I can't compare, but it is wonderful and easy! Thanks for sharing.

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Very easy to make, easy to follow instructions and totally creamily delicious. I sauteed in unsalted butter as I'm not sure what butter-flavored oil is, and I added some garlic (a personal taste preference). For the caramelised onions, I used some of Kittencal's Caramelized Onions that I had in the freezer. Probably used more like double the mushrooms (because we love mushrooms) and I used a low-fat cream, in a bid to lower the fat content (!) as I find it generally makes no appreciable difference to the final dish. Absolutely loved ALL the ingredients in this recipe and will certainly make it again: too delicious only to make for guests. Made for Zaar Stars Tag, and this recipe is indeed a star. Thanks for sharing it, Cook4_6!

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I have had this at Macaroni Grill and it inspired me to make it myself. With the Rosemary bread, which is their signature bread at the restaurant, it is one meal you won't want to miss! This is AMAZING!!!

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This recipe is delicious. It was the first dish I cooked for my boyfriend, and he absolutely loved it! I've made it several times since.. especially when we have company, and it's always a hit! I've experimented with different cheeses, and it's always been great.

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This recipe is perfect for dinner guests.Pasta is always a great choice.And this one is a wonderful dish!

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Absolutely delicious!!!! I used 3 boneless skinless chicken breast, which I coated first with olive oil and then seasoned with a combination of salt, pepper and garlic powder, before putting them on the grill. I made the chicken first and then kept them loosely covered while I started the indoor ingredients. Once I got the onions caramelized, I added the mushrooms and the sliced grilled chicken. I then finished as written. Thanks for sharing the great recipe!!! Made for Zaar Stars tag.

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Since this is my favorite thing to get when I go to Macaroni Grill, I just had to make it. It turned out perfect. What a fantastic recipe!!! DS and I loved every bite, and DS said he looks forward to having it again! I know the wine they use is Marsala, as I always get the "Make your own" option, with whole wheat pasta and then get the sauce for this and the waiter said, "Oh you mean the Marsala sauce". That was it! I want to add that this is served in a BIG bowl at the Macaroni Grill, and there is supposed to be quite a bit of thin sauce at the bottom of your bowl to sop up with your Rosemary bread, so don't cook until the sauce is all gone. This recipe will be made again and again, and has found a permanent place in my "To Die For" favorites :D Thank you for sharing Cooks! Made for Zaar Stars tag game. Linda

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Once you start eating this you can't stop, even when your full! This recipe is one of those that you never want to forget about, and I know I never will. It is amazing! I used the dry Marsala wine as another poster suggested, and yes, it is the same taste from the wine as in the restaurant! I can't believe I can actually produce such a fabulous recipe myself! Company worthy for taste alone, never mind what it looks like! Simply wonderful! Thanks for sharing!

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I can't compare this to the original as I haven't tried it, but this recipe is VERY good! I cooked this using 6 ounces of olive oil with 2 tablespoons of butter. It turned out a bit more oily than I expected and will reduce it by a 1/4 cup. The overall flavor was wonderful and will be making this one again and again.

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