The big mystery about Boston cream pie is how a cake layered with custard and topped with chocolate came to be called a pie! Our Boston cream poke cake is a twist on a traditional Boston cream pie, with a name that’s easier to follow. Even easier? We skip the from-scratch yellow cake and custard on the stovetop in favor of a boxed cake mix and instant pudding.

To get the creamy vanilla pudding filling soaked into every part of the cake, you’ll poke holes evenly across the whole surface. The handle of a wooden spoon is the perfect tool. Once the custard seeps into the holes, top it with chocolate ganache and chill it for a few hours. The result is a decadent, custardy desserts that’s one of the best 13×9-inch cake recipes for birthdays and potlucks.

Boston Cream Poke Cake Ingredients

• Yellow cake mix: Some of the best yellow cake mixes taste just like homemade. Check the package directions for other ingredients needed, like oil and eggs.
• Vanilla pudding mix: Make shortcut instant pudding instead of homemade custard for an easy Boston cream poke cake.
• Whole milk: Stick to whole milk for the creamiest pudding.
• Vanilla extract: Just a little vanilla enhances the flavor of the filling. Homemade vanilla extract is delicious here.
• Chocolate chips: The easy ganache topping on the Boston cream poke cake begins with melted semisweet chocolate chips.
• Butter: A little butter in the ganache mixture gives the chocolate extra shine.
• Heavy cream: Melt the chocolate chips in warm heavy cream (or whipping cream) to make the rich ganache.

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If you’re like us, all winter long you’re dream of spring and summer‘s warm weather and finally being able to eat as many of our meals outside as possible… Then spring rolls around and you get busy, and the idea of pulling out the grill and all its accouterments, not to mention the double cleanup (your kitchen and outside), makes it real easy to fall back on old habits and skip the grill for weeknight dinners. Don’t let another summer season go by without using your grill as much as possible—we’ve got THE hack for you: foil packs. All you need is a little aluminum foil, and you can make basically anything on your grill, with minimal cleanup. Check out our 35 foil pack recipes for ideas–yes, including dessert!

It’s truly incredible what you can stick in a foil packet—we’ve got everything from meaty favorites like surf ‘n’ turf, Caprese chicken, or honey-chipotle salmon, to carby classics like corn & tomato gnocchi and shrimp, broccoli & rice “stir fry,” with desserts like a berry crisp or marshmallow Reese’s cones in between. Interested? Making a foil pack for the grill is also surprisingly easy. Place your ingredients in the middle of a piece of foil, and simply bring the edges of it together in the middle and crimp so that no steam can escape (the key to ultra juicy meat and well-cooked vegetables). There’s usually no need to even flip the foil packets during grilling. Once your meal is cooked through, you can serve straight from the packet (less dishes!) or slide each serving onto a plate or bowl.

Want more summertime grilling inspiration? Check out our top grilling recipes and our favorite weeknight dinners you can make on the grill too.

Taste of Home

While there is a template on how to make chicken riggies, this dish allows you to get creative and have fun. For example, don’t have cherry peppers? Use Calabrian chiles (seeds removed unless you love the heat!) or wax peppers instead. Prefer another white wine over sherry? That’s A-OK, too.

If you absolutely love this recipe, consider making extra sauce and meat and using it for stuffed shells or simply serving it up with crusty slices of bread.

Ingredients for Chicken Riggies

• Sherry: Produced in Spain, sherry is a fortified wine that’s popular as an aperitif and for cooking. While the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process, its deep flavor and aroma remains.
• Olive oil: It’s used in the marinade for the chicken, so choose an olive oil that you would eat simply drizzled on a salad—it’s important you enjoy its flavor!
• Garlic: Also used in the marinade, garlic adds a savory, pungent flavor. Feel free to use as much or as little as you’d like.
• Dried oregano: Although there are many varieties of oregano, you’re most likely to find Mexican and Greek oregano at your store. The former tends to have a stronger and more peppery flavor than the latter.
• Chicken: You may want to flatten the chicken into 1/4-inch-thick pieces before adding it to the marinade. Doing this not only helps develop more flavor, but the chicken will likely yield a better texture when cooked.
• Rigatoni: This pasta shape is big, tubular and hearty. It’s ideal for pairing with chunky or meaty sauces.
• Butter: The butter is creamy, slightly sweet and nutty in flavor. But you can substitute it with olive oil or schmaltz.
• Bell pepper: Sweet and vegetal in taste, bell peppers also add a dose of color.
• Pickled cherry pepper: The potent and moderately spicy flavor of pickled cherry peppers will brighten and enhance the other ingredients in this dish.
• Onion: Many recipes begin with sauteed onion and for good reason! It’s a very aromatic and compatible veggie to pair with a variety of ingredients.
• Tomato puree: Tomatoes pack a lot of savory umami flavor. San Marzano tomatoes are a perfect option for this recipe.
• Heavy whipping cream: The creamy and sweet profile of heavy cream makes a dish a whole lot more satisfying. You don’t need much of it to make a big difference.
• Cream cheese: This ingredient helps cohere the sauce and of course add flavor. If you prefer, you can use ricotta or mascarpone.
• Romano cheese: Made from sheep’s milk, Romano is often compared to Parmesan but the two are meaningfully different. Romano is sharper in flavor and generally better for slicing, not grating.

Taste of Home