Nick's Chicken

Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 45 mins

Difficulty: Easy - for beginners
Serves: 4

Ingredients

* Salt
* 1 pound rigatoni
* 1 pound chicken tenders, 1 package
* 1 ring of smoked beef kielbasa (near hotdogs)
* Black pepper (fresh ground)
* 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 3 to 4 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped, divided
* 1 Large Green Pepper
* 1 Large Red Pepper
* 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
* 1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more to pass at table
* Italian Seasoning
* Garlic Powder
* Red Pepper Flakes

Method

Bring a pot of water to a boil for "riggies". Salt water and cook pasta to al dente.

Chop all the chicken and Kielbasa into bite size pieces. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large high sided skillet over medium-high to high heat.

Add chicken and kielbasa to hot pan and brown all over, 7 to 8 minutes then remove and set aside. Add onions, 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, peppers then season with salt and pepper and cook 6 to 7 minutes to soften Stir in tomatoes and add chicken and kielbasa back to the sauce. Add Italian Seasoning, Garlic Powder, and Red Pepper flakes to taste. Bring sauce to a bubble. Reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer a couple of minutes. Add pasta and 1/2 cup cheese to the pasta and toss with sauce combination.