Category Archives: Pasta and Rice

RIGATONI WITH BROCCOLI & CHICKEN

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Today is opening day of the 2026 MLB season for the Houston Astros.  Here’s hoping for an exhilarating season!

To celebrate, I turned to a 2004 cookbook, published as a fundraiser for M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, entitled “From Home Plate to Your Plate — A Collection of Recipes from the Houston Astros Family.”

So many options — should I make Jose Cruz’s Tuna or Chicken Tetrazzini, or perhaps Roy Oswalt’s Baked Chimichangas?  Craig Biggio’s Italian Tomato Sauce or Jeff Bagwell’s Salmon Fillets?  I settled on Roger Clemens’ Rigatoni with Broccoli & Chicken, a dish he reportedly loved from Bertucci’s Restaurant in Boston.

The dish, which serves 2, was easy and tasty enough, although if I were to make it again I’d probably add some mushrooms, a dash of crushed red pepper, and perhaps a sprinkling of parmesan cheese before serving.  But, hey, if you have no one to take you out to the ballgame, you can root root root for the home team while chowing down on “Rocket’s” favorite dish.

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RIGATONI WITH BROCCOLI & CHICKEN
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Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 ounces chicken breast, cut into strips
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 slice of lemon
  • 1 small clove garlic, crushed
  • ¼ cup chicken broth
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups rigatoni, cooked all dente
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and saute until chicken is lightly browned. Add the broccoli and lemon slice, and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until broccoli is bright green. Add the garlic and cook for 10 seconds. Add the chicken broth and heavy cream and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. When ready to serve, stir in the rigatoni and heat until sauce reduces and clings to the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Brown the chicken

Add in the broccoli

Chicken broth and heavy cream create the sauce

Add the pasta and you’re almost home

Play ball!

BUTERA’S CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

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I found this gorgeous bowl of seashells at an estate sale:

Although I probably would have bought the bowl by itself, the beautifully arranged shells were a wonderful bonus.  I was fascinated by them.

The bowl of shells was the inspiration for this recipe for Butera’s Chicken Pasta Salad, with its cute little pasta shells.   Butera’s Fine Foods & Delicatessen was a popular establishment in Houston back in the 1980s-90s (memory fails me).  It was always a treat to go through the line and pick from the offerings, and we especially loved Butera’s salads.  I don’t remember when it closed, only that we were sad when it did.

Apart from the memory of Butera’s, its recipe for chicken pasta salad lives on.  Apparently, shell pasta is not as popular as I remembered it to be, and I had to hunt for it at several stores.  The recipe here is modified.  The original recipe called for what I consider today to be an unconscionable amount of mayo and oil, so I halved it.  I also added chives (gotta have something green) and a dash of hot sauce.  The secret ingredient in this quirky pasta salad is nutmeg, and it definitely adds “something.”

We’ve still got quite a bit of hot weather to go here in Houston before we’re cozying up in front of the fireplace with pumpkin spice lattes, and this chicken pasta salad will keep salad fatigue from setting in.

5 from 1 reviews
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BUTERA'S CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. shell pasta
  • 1-1/4 cups mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup pitted black olives, quartered
  • ½ lb. cooked chicken breast, diced (rotisserie is excellent)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (optional)
  • Dash of hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Rinse under cool water and drain well. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, olive oil, vinegar, and nutmeg. Place pasta, olives, and chicken in a large bowl, and stir together. Add dressing and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in chives and hot sauce, if using. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  2. Note: This salad is best made a day in advance.