I love this Italian-Jamaican pasta mash-up of flavors. Creamy pasta sauce is enhanced by spicy jerk chicken and green and red bell peppers for a one-pan meal that everyone will love.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- One 16-ounce package penne pasta
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon jerk seasoning
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1/2 large red bell pepper, sliced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- One 1.3-ounce packet Knorr Parma Rosa pasta sauce powder
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan, plus more for garnish
- Sliced green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain and rinse with cold water, then set aside.
- Meanwhile, sprinkle the chicken with 2 teaspoons jerk seasoning.
- Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the grill pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Add the chicken and cook on one side until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Cook until the chicken registers 165 degrees F when a thermometer is inserted in the thickest portion, 6 to 8 minutes more. Remove the chicken from the pan, and let rest 10 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
- Add the bell peppers to the grill pan. Cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the peppers from the pan and set aside.
- Melt the butter and remaining tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and tender. Add the sauce powder and flour and whisk until incorporated. Reduce the heat, then slowly whisk in the half-and-half. Simmer until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, then stir in the Parmesan and remaining teaspoon jerk seasoning.
- Add the pasta, chicken and peppers to the sauce and toss until combined. Divide the pasta among serving bowls and garnish with green onions and extra Parmesan.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 735 |
| Total Fat | 30 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 66 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 47 g |
| Cholesterol | 145 mg |
| Sodium | 458 mg |
Reviews
This was good, I used a Jerk Seasoning I got for Christmas. Taste in the end was not very strong. Going to make my own to kick it up. Caution when topping the chicken with brown sugar, do not get in pan or it will burn.
I have made this recipe twice. The second time I tried increasing the spiciness. Like another reviewer, I found this recipe too sweet with the brown sugar and needs additional salt. I think if I were going to make this again, I would use a different flavor profile perhaps Cajun and eliminate the use of brown sugar.
Made this yesterday. It’s pretty good. I added mushrooms & sun dried tomatoes. Also seasoned the chicken with two kinds of jerk seasoning – the dry and jar seasoning. Thanks Miss Brown for this recipe!
Made it exactly as instructed, with one mistake… I used dark brown sugar instead of light.
I would have much preferred the dish to be spicier. It was too sweet. Maybe because of the brown sugar mistake. Dunno.
One of my daughter’s favorite dishes from a local restaurant is this dish. Their version has more kick, the chicken kicks more too, and the sauce isn’t as thick.
I would give this another try if I found some ways to improve the spice level.
BTW – used the Aaron McCargol Jerk Seasoning Recipe to make my own from scratch that I found here.
Wow, awesome recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight, absolutely delicious!
Easy and delicious. Another staple dish we have added to our collection.
Oh man! This was delicious! I used a whole red and green bell pepper because I love peppers and the colors. Will definitely keep this in rotation. Full of flavor!
Made this tonight and followed recipe exactly except used slightly less brown sugar. It was absolutely delicious!! If I stumble across the Parma Rosa seasoning packet again I will definitely use this recipe! Husband loved too.
Thanks to clmack1977’s review, I also found the Parma Rosa on Amazon since I could not find it in any stores near me. I’m not crazy about alfredo or vodka sauce, but this Parma Rosa sauce mix worked perfectly for this dish! I have dry jerk seasoning that is a little too spicy for me, so I dialed back the amount of that to like 1 teaspoon, but I used The Shizzle jerk marinade (in a jar, like the consistency of pesto) to let the chicken sit and marinate for an hour or so in the fridge before cooking it, and also used that throughout the dish, generously. I saved some of the pasta water to add to the sauce to loosen it up a bit. I put the dry seasoning bottle on the table so that others could sprinkle more on their servings for additional spice/heat. Excellent recipe!