This delicious Bahama Breeze Jerk Chicken Pasta Recipe has the perfect blend of bold spicy flavors, sweet bell peppers, and a creamy parmesan cheese sauce that is sure to satisfy many taste buds!
Easy Jerk Chicken Pasta is a great dish when your looking for an easy weeknight meal with Caribbean flare.
The tenderness of the chicken, mixed with the richness of the sauce, and the variety of vegetables is a great way to have a complete meal ready in about an hour!
Ingredients For Bahama Breeze’s Jerk Chicken Pasta
What You Will Need
- Skinless boneless chicken breasts
- Jerk sauce
- Bow tie pasta
- Olive oil
- Large red bell pepper
- Large onion
- Green onions
- Garlic
- Jalapeno pepper
- White or baby bella mushrooms (optional)
- Heavy cream
- Chicken broth
- Salt
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley (optional)
Helpful Equipment And Tools
- Large pot
- Non-stick skillet
- Cutting board
- Large kitchen knife
- Colander
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Meat thermometer
Easy Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pasta
Ingredients Variations
Pasta – I love bow tie pasta for this dish but you can use penne pasta if you prefer it!
Chicken breasts – Skinless boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs can be used in this recipe.
If you’re looking for a vegan version, simply cook this easy dish without the chicken and add more vegetables!
Bell peppers – The sweet flavor of either red, yellow, or orange bell peppers are the perfect balance with the spicy jerk seasoning.
You can use a combination of peppers to add some bright color to the spicy dish.
Jerk seasoning – There is a variety of jerk seasonings available at your local grocery store or international grocer. I prefer to use a pre-made jerk sauce. Feel free to use your favorite pre-made Jamaican jerk spice or your own homemade jerk seasoning.
This recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of jerk seasoning, you can adjust that amount for how spicy you want the chicken to be.
Chicken broth – I usually use low sodium chicken broth when I’m cooking. You can absolutely use regular chicken broth or chicken stock in this recipe.
For a vegan dish, use vegetable broth.
Heavy cream – You can substitute heavy cream with half-and half.
You can also use coconut milk, this gives the dish a more tropical island flavor!
How To Make Bahama Breeze Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pasta
Simple Steps
Season The Chicken
- Season both sides of the chicken breasts (see Top Tip) with a few tablespoons of jerk seasoning or sauce.
- Marinate the chicken in the jerk seasoning for 10-15 minutes.
- The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavor it will have.
Prep The Vegetables
- Thinly slice the bell pepper and sweet onion. Mince the garlic and jalapeno pepper.
- Slice the green onions and roughly chop the fresh parsley.
- Trim, clean, and slice mushrooms if using.
Cook The Chicken
- Preheat the oven.
- Heat part of the olive oil in a large frying pan or cast iron pan over medium-high heat.
- Cook a few minutes on each side until golden brown.
- Next, either place the oven proof skillet in the oven or transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and continue roasting until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Boil The Pasta
- While the chicken is roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions for al dente doneness.
- Drain and set aside.
- Once the chicken is finished roasting, use mitts to take out the pan from the oven.
- Place the chicken on a plate and cover to keep warm.
Sauté The Vegetables
- Heat the remaining bit of olive oil in a large skillet the chicken browned in over medium heat.
- Sauté the bell pepper and onions until they start to soften.
- Add the jalapeno pepper, garlic, green onions, and mushrooms (if using) and sauté until softened.
Make The Parmesan Cream Sauce
- Transfer the sautéed vegetables to a larger separate pan (I use the pot that I cooked the pasta in).
- Over low heat, stir in the chicken broth, heavy cream, salt, and parmesan cheese.
- Throughly blend together with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- Gently fold the pasta into the sauce, making sure everything gets coated well.
- Cook on low until the sauce thickens.
- Slice the cooked chicken.
- Spoon pasta in a serving bowl and place the chicken on top.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley and some chopped green onions.
Top Tip
If you are using large thick chicken breasts, consider cutting them horizontally in half creating 2 thinner pieces. This will help speed up the cooking time.
Thicker chicken breasts can take up to 40 minutes or more to fully cook. Thinner chicken breast take about 20 minutes to cook.
The internal temperature of the chicken should be at least 165 degrees.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can I Turn Up The Spice Level With Jerk Chicken?
- The spice level of this jerk chicken dish is fairly spicy but if you’re looking to take it to the next level, there are various ways.
- You can add red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne pepper.
- For those of you that are daring and love really hot food, finely chop a bit of a scotch bonnet and sauté with the other peppers. But be warned, scotch bonnet peppers are extremely hot!
Can I Add Other Vegetables To Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pasta?
- Yes, you can add other vegetables to Jerk Chicken. Sweet corn, carrots, spinach, broccoli, and asparagus are great additions to this flavorful dish!
Can I Use Gluten-Free Pasta Instead Of Regular Pasta?
- Yes, you can use gluten-free pasta in this Jerk Chicken Pasta Recipe!
- Don’t know which gluten-free pasta is the best? Check out the Best Gluten-Free Pastas and learn more!
How Do You Store Leftover Jerk Chicken Pasta?
- Allow the chicken and pasta to get to room temperature.
- Place the jerk chicken and the creamy parmesan pasta in separate airtight containers.
- Store them in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Are You Looking For More Great Easy Chicken Recipes? Then you have to try these delicious meals!
Easy Jerk Chicken Pasta Recipe (Bahama Breeze Style)
This delicious Bahama Breeze Jerk Chicken Pasta Recipe has the perfect blend of bold spicy flavors, sweet bell peppers, and a creamy parmesan cheese sauce that is sure to satisfy many taste buds!
Ingredients
- 2 Large skinless boneless chicken breasts (cut horizontally in half to make 4 pieces). See Top Tip.
- 3 Tablespoons jerk seasoning or jerk sauce
- 1 Pound bow tie pasta
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Large red bell pepper - thinly sliced
- 1 Large sweet onion - thinly sliced
- 1/3 Cup chopped green onions
- 2-4 Cloves fresh garlic - minced
- 1 Jalapeno pepper - finely minced
- 1/2 Pound white or baby bella mushrooms (optional)
- 3/4 Cup heavy cream
- 1/2 Cup chicken broth
- 1/2 Teaspoon salt
- 3/4 Cup parmesan cheese - grated
- 3 Tablespoons fresh parsley - chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken breasts (see Top Tip) with a few tablespoons of jerk seasoning or sauce.
- Let the chicken marinate in the jerk seasoning for 10-15 minutes. The longer you marinate the chicken, the spicer it will be.
- Thinly slice the bell pepper and sweet onion.
- Mince the garlic and jalapeno pepper.
- Slice the green onions, keeping some to top off dish as a garnish.
- Roughly chop the fresh parsley.
- Trim, clean, and slice mushrooms if using.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Sear 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- Next, either place the oven proof skillet in the oven or transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and continue roasting for 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breast.
- Use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature reaches a safe 165 degrees.
- While the chicken is roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions for al dente doneness. Drain and set aside.
- Once the chicken is finished roasting, use mitts to take out the pan from the oven. Place the chicken on a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet the chicken browned in over medium heat.
- Sauté the bell pepper and onions for 2 to 3 minutes, until they start to soften.
- Add the jalapeno pepper, garlic, green onions, and mushrooms (if using) and sauté for about 5 minutes more or until softened to your preferred tenderness.
- Transfer the sautéed vegetables to a larger separate pan (I use the pot that I cooked the pasta in).
- Over low heat, whisk in the chicken broth, heavy cream, salt, and parmesan cheese. Throughly blend together with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- Gently fold the pasta into the sauce, making sure everything gets coated well.
- Cook for about 5 minutes to let the sauce thicken.
- Slice the cooked chicken and place on top of a serving of pasta. Sprinkle with a little bit of fresh parsley and some chopped green onions.
Notes
Helpful Equipment And Tools
- Large pot
- Non-stick skillet
- Cutting board
- Large kitchen knife
- Colander
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Meat thermometer
- Oven mitts
Top Tip
If you are using large thick chicken breasts, consider cutting them horizontally in half creating 2 thinner pieces. This will help speed up the cooking time.
Thicker chicken breasts can take up to 40 minutes or more to fully cook.
Thinner chicken breast take about 20 minutes to cook.
The internal temperature of the chicken should be at least 165 degrees.
How To Store
Allow the chicken and pasta to come to room temperature.
Place the jerk chicken and the creamy parmesan pasta in separate airtight containers.
Store them in the refrigerator for up to four days.