Before beginning, make sure all ingredients are cut, chopped and measured out. (Read about mise en place here.)

Clean the chicken of visible fat. Cut the breasts into four even thickness pieces similar in size to the chicken thighs so all chicken pieces cook evenly. Set aside.

In a large pot, fill with water and place on stove over high heat. Once boiling, add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.

Fold open a 12X12 piece of cheese cloth and fill with ¼ cup of the sliced hot cherry peppers, one tablespoon of chopped garlic, the red bell pepper pieces and the fresh oregano. Pull up into a pouch and tie off the top with twine.

Place this cheesecloth bag into the water, cover and cook five minutes.

Remove cover but leave the bag in, add the chicken pieces, cover and remove from heat. Let sit six minutes off-heat in the hot water to poach.

Use a spider or tongs to remove the chicken to a platter to cool. The chicken may not be fully cooked with a tiny amount of pink. It will cook later in the recipe. Keep the water hot on a low burner with the cover and leave the cheesecloth bag in the pot.

Once cool enough to handle, shred the chicken with two forks or simply pull the meat apart with your fingers to shred. Set aside for later in the recipe.

Bring the poaching liquid to a boil and add the rigatoni to cook. Cook it a few minutes shy of fully cooked. Do not discard pasta water. See Chef Tip in the post above on timing.

In a separate large heavy-duty pot or Dutch oven, add half the olive oil over high heat. Once shimmering hot, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often to brown, about 8-10 minutes. Once browned, remove to a small bowl and reduce heat to medium.

Add the remaining olive oil and once hot, add the onions and cook stirring often to soften, about five minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of garlic and cook one minute.

Add pepper flakes and tomato paste and stir continually for two minutes.

Add sherry to deglaze and cook for one minute.

Add the chopped roasted peppers, canned tomatoes, basil, cooked mushrooms and remaining teaspoon of salt along with the reserved cooked shredded chicken. Stir and simmer over a low heat while the rigatoni continues cooking.

Once the rigatoni is just slightly undercooked, use a spider or strainer and add to the pot of sauce along with the cream, butter and 1 ½ cups of the shredded Romano cheese and stir.

Add enough pasta water to make a creamy sauce while the rigatoni finishes cooking in the sauce.

Once fully cooked, portion and serve with the rest of the hot sliced cherry peppers, fresh basil and the remaining Romano cheese.

Save some pasta water to help reheat leftovers, if any. Discard the cheesecloth bag.