Rasta Pasta

1 pound Penne pasta
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons jerk seasoning divided
2 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 red bell pepper sliced or chopped
1 green bell pepper sliced or chopped
1 yellow bell pepper sliced or chopped
½ cup green onion chopped
2 cloves garlic grated or pressed
1 cup chicken broth
14 ounces full-fat coconut milk or one 14 ounce can
2 cups parmesan cheese freshly grated, divided – 1 ½ cup in the recipe, ½ cup for garnish
green onions sliced thin and/or parsley optional garnish

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Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente or desired tenderness.
Slice raw chicken (about finger size). Toss the chicken with 1 Tablespoon jerk seasoning. In a dutch oven, fry the chicken in 1 Tablespoon oil until cooked (for about 5 minutes, until no pink left). Remove the chicken from the dutch oven and set it aside.
Use the same dutch oven to cook the bell peppers with 1 Tablespoon oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic and jerk seasoning and cook for another minute.
Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then add coconut milk and reduce heat to a simmer. Heat until the broth mixture thickens (about 5 minutes).
Add the chicken and parmesan cheese.
Remove from heat and stir well.
Once the cheese is melted, stir in the penne. As the pasta cools a bit, sauce will begin to thicken and stick to the pasta, keep gently mixing until all the ingredients are incorporated well.
Serve with reserved ½ cup of parmesan cheese.

Jerk seasoning is traditionally somewhat spicy. If you aren’t a fan of heat but like all the flavors in this recipe, you can make your own jerk seasoning using salt, pepper, thyme, allspice, brown sugar, garlic powder, and cinnamon – just leave out the cayenne pepper which usually accompanies this seasoning.
Storage Instructions: Rasta Pasta will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. It reheats well on the stovetop, in the oven, or microwave. If you have leftover cheese and coconut milk or broth, you can add a bit of each in when reheating. If it is well wrapped and airtight, it should keep for 6 months in the freezer.
Other FAQ suggestions:
- Can I use leftover chicken in this recipe? Yes, you would want to use approximately 2 cups of chopped or shredded chicken. Instead of frying it in olive oil, you would just mix it well with the jerk seasoning.
- I can’t find coconut milk – what else could I use? You could use heavy cream, coconut cream, or half and half.
- What could I substitute for the chicken broth? You could use vegetable broth or combine 1 cup of water with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil.
- How much garlic powder would I substitute for 2 cloves of garlic? You would use ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder in this recipe.