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Rasta Pasta with Chicken

rasta pasta

Last week I hosted a poll via my Instagram story, asking for your vote on which recipe request I should fulfill next and Chicken Rasta Pasta won by leaps and bounds.

I’ll be polling y’all a few Wednesdays every month so make sure you keep an eye out for it if you’d like a say on new content! Check out the current list of requests and if you don’t see something you’d like, feel free to suggest it.

Chicken Rasta Pasta is basically a chicken alfredo, but with jerk chicken. My recipe calls for a decent amount of jerk marinade and seasoning because we like it spicy and flavorful. Feel free to reduce it if you have a more sensitive palate.

You can use whatever veggies you like, but from all the photos I’ve seen of this dish on social, bell peppers seem to be the norm. Speaking of, please don’t get caught up too much in name of it; it’s not a Jamaican dish, and Rastafarians don’t even eat meat.

Someone tagged me recently in a TikTok of a kid going nuts over the existence of Rasta Pasta because it wasn’t “authentic” Jamaican food. Like, bro calm down I’ve never seen anyone claim that it is! ?

This recipe can be used as the base for any variation of rasta pasta. I’ve seen it with steak, oxtails, shrimp, etc.

Check out the video tutorial for Chicken Rasta Pasta on my YouTube channel and make sure you’re subscribed: my plan is to upload a new one every Monday in 2020! ??

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Chicken Rasta Pasta


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  • Author: María
  • Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x

Description

By popular demand. 


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 lb dry pasta, dealers choice
  • 34 medium bell peppers, sliced thinly
  • 1/4 C scallions, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tbsp jerk marinade, divided
  • 1 tsp dry jerk seasoning, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 1 tbsp AP flour
  • 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
  • 1/2 C parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 C coconut milk
  • 1/2 C heavy cream
  • 1/2 C chicken broth
  • vegetable oil, as needed


Instructions

  1. At least a couple of hours in advance – preferably overnight – season your chicken with the 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, the dry jerk seasoning, and two tablespoons of the jerk marinade. Mix well, pressing the marinade into the chicken. Cover and refrigerate until about 30 minutes before you begin cooking. 
  2. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle in a bit of oil. Add your bell peppers, sprinkle with a bit of salt and stir in a 1/2 tablespoon of jerk marinade. Distribute evenly and cook until the peppers soften to your liking. Remove them and set aside.
  3. Drizzle in a bit more oil to lightly coat the bottom of the skillet. Add your chicken in a single layer, being sure not to crowd. Cook it in batches if needed, for about 7 minutes on each side (remember that it needs to be 165ºF internally). 
  4. Remove the chicken and transfer it to a cutting board. Once it’s cooled enough to handle, slice it thinly.  
  5. Reduce the heat to medium low and add a few tablespoons of chicken broth – just enough to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up what’s stuck to the bottom of the pan, adding more broth as needed. Once you’re done scraping stir in 1/2 of the green onions, the thyme, and the garlic and let that cook for a couple of minutes. 
  6. Set a pot of salted water over high heat. While waiting for it to boil, whisk the flour into the skillet with the broth. Let it thicken and allow the paste to cook for 2-3 minutes. Once it has, whisk in the remaining broth, the coconut milk, and the heavy cream. After that’s well combined add the remaining jerk marinade and parmesan. Taste and add salt as needed. 
  7. Reduce the heat to low. Cook your pasta according to package directions, allowing the sauce to simmer while you do. One the pasta is al dente, toss it in to the sauce and stir to coat. Add the peppers, then the chicken and green onions. 
  8. Make sure everything is well distributed. Dassit. Enjoy! 

Notes

  • You can substitute breasts or bone in chicken if you like. Cooking times will vary. 
  • We like a lot of peppers, feel free to use less! 
  • Walkerswood Traditional ‘Hot & Spicy’ Jamaican Jerk Seasoning is my preferred marinade. 
  • Prep Time: 120 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: pasta
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1 Comment

  • Chili-Cheese Enchiladas • deepfriedhoney
    March 31, 2020 at 5:04 pm

    […] number of votes in the poll I ran in my Instagram story a couple of weeks ago (the winner was Rasta Pasta). There’s a video tutorial on how to make these Chili-Cheese Enchiladas on my YouTube […]

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