Chicken Rasta Pasta

Start by prepping your chicken ahead of time – ideally the night before. Season your chicken with the kosher salt, jerk seasoning, and 2 tablespoons of jerk marinade. Make sure to really rub that marinade into the chicken. Cover the chicken up and pop it in the fridge, letting it marinate for at least a few hours, preferably overnight. About 30 minutes before you start cooking, take the chicken out of the fridge to let it come to room temperature.

Heat up a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle in just enough oil to coat the bottom. Once it’s hot, toss in your bell peppers with a sprinkle of salt and the rest of jerk marinade. Stir them around to get everything evenly coated, then cook until the peppers have charred a bit and are tender to your liking. Once they’re good, take them out and set them aside.

Drizzle a little more oil in the pan, a couple of teaspoons more than for the bell peppers, and add your chicken in a single layer. Don’t overcrowd the pan – cook in batches if you need to. Let the chicken cook undisturbed for about 7 minutes on each side, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. Once the chicken is done, transfer it to a cutting board and let it cool a bit before slicing it into thin strips.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add a tablespoons of chicken broth to deglaze the pan – that’s just a fancy way of saying you’ll scrape up all the delicious browned bits stuck to the bottom. Use a wooden spoon to scrape, adding more broth as needed. Once the pan is deglazed, stir in about half of the chopped scallions, along with the thyme and minced garlic. Let that cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant.

While the onions and garlic are doing their thing, set a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring it to a boil for the pasta. When the garlic is fragrant, after about three minutes or so, whisk the flour into the skillet with the broth until it forms a paste. Let the paste cook for 2-3 minutes, then whisk in the remaining chicken broth, coconut milk, and heavy cream. Stir it all together until it’s smooth, then stir in the last tablespoon of jerk marinade and parmesan cheese. Give the sauce a taste and add more salt if you think it needs it - not too much, because we seasoned the chicken, peppers, and pasta with it.

Once your pasta water is boiling, cook the pasta according to the package directions. While that’s happening, let the sauce simmer on low. When the pasta is al dente, drain it and toss it into the sauce. Add the cooked bell peppers, sliced chicken, and the rest of the green onions, and gently stir it all up so that the chicken, peppers, and pasta are evenly distributed. Dassit!