Chicken Bolognese

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the chicken has browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the carrots and onions and cook until the vegetables are tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, Italian seasoning and bay leaf and let the spices toast, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and let that toast and start to get brown on the bottom of the pot, 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 2

Stir in the white wine and simmer until the wine has been absorbed into the meat. Add the evaporated milk and cook, stirring constantly, until it has cooked down. Add the tomato sauce, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup water. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is nice and thick and hearty, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Step 3

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni to al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Remove the bay leaf from the sauce and toss the pasta with the sauce, adding the reserved water to loosen the sauce if necessary. Garnish with the parsley and serve with grated Parmesan.