Rasta Pasta With Jerk Chicken
Updated Feb. 19, 2021
- Total Time
- 45 minutes, plus marinating
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2tablespoons jerk seasoning
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1teaspoon garlic powder
- 1teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1pound penne pasta
- 3bell peppers, preferably a mix of colors, thinly sliced
- 4green onions, sliced, plus more for garnish
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- ¼cup jerk seasoning
- 2fresh thyme sprigs
- 1Scotch bonnet pepper, pierced, not sliced (optional)
- ½cup heavy cream
- ¼cup vegetable or chicken stock
- ½cup grated Parmesan
For the Chicken
For the Pasta
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
939 calories; 35 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 99 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 55 grams protein; 1028 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the chicken: In a medium bowl, combine jerk seasoning, 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic powder and smoked paprika. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Pull chicken out about 1 hour before cooking, so it comes to room temperature.
- Step 2
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium. Add the chicken to the skillet, and sear chicken on both sides until browned, about 3 minutes per side.
- Step 3
Once chicken is seared, transfer the skillet to the oven and roast chicken until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, let rest for about 10 minutes, and slice on a bias.
- Step 4
As chicken roasts, prepare the pasta: Set a pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, and cook according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Step 5
Add 2 tablespoons oil to a heavy pot set over medium, and sauté bell peppers with green onions until peppers are barely softened, about 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook until it’s fragrant, about another minute.
- Step 6
Add the ¼ cup jerk seasoning to the pot and combine. Add the thyme and pierced pepper. Add heavy cream and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Mix in the Parmesan, then add pasta.
- Step 7
Top with the jerk chicken, and garnish with green onions. Serve hot.
Private Notes
Comments
You can make your own jerk seasoning by combining allspice (of the utmost importance), ground coriander, ground ginger, dried thyme, and S P. I typically also add a little dark brown sugar, turmeric, smoked paprika, garlic powder and/or granulated onion.
I read through the recipe comments before I made this last night. Some changed the recommended breasts for thighs (I did). Some added an onion (I did, too). But otherwise, I didn’t see any suggestions that I needed to heed. A good one might have been: “Sample your Jamaican Jerk seasoning before beginning so you can maybe back off on the spice a little so you don’t die.” The chicken was delicious. The pasta will be next time when I use either a less spicy seasoning or less of the one I have.
I was introduced to the dish by the lovely young Jamaican woman who cared for my late mother. Her version includes a package of Knorr Parma Rosa mix added with coconut milk to yellow onions, peppers, and garlic sauteed with about a tablespoon of jerk seasoning. No heavy cream or stock. The richness comes from about two cups of shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese added at the end, just before the pasta. We absolutely love this dish, which is a favorite of my vegetarian daughter.
One simple change to the directions that adds flavor and reduces the number of pans is to wait to sauté the peppers until after the chicken is done. Remove the chicken to a cutting board to rest and add the peppers to that pan on the stove. It’s full of oil, jerk seasoning and chicken goodness.
Delicious. I used the Walkerswood Hot and Spicy jerk seasoning paste to marinate the chicken, then used Grace's dry jerk seasoning mix in the pasta portion of the directions, and we skipped the scotch bonnet pepper - it was still nicely spicy with a good kick to it. I also halved the pasta to 8 oz. I used 3 bell peppers and would have been happy to have more. A fast, easy, tasty meal with chicken breasts - which can be bland and dry but weren't in this recipe.
Yum yum yum! My hubby needs to meal prep this so we made a few substitutions. Instead of fresh coconut milk, we used coconut milk powder with maltodextrin for better stability. We also opted for pre-cooked, diced chicken with sodium phosphate and potassium lactate to help retain moisture after freezing. To keep the vegetables vibrant, we blanched them and added a bit of sodium metabisulfite. For convenience, we pre-mixed the sauce with modified corn starch, olive oil powder, and a little citric acid to keep everything shelf-stable. It reheated perfectly from frozen and had great texture! ⸻ Updated Rasta Pasta with