Authentic Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta
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Authentic Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta
If you love bold Caribbean flavor with a creamy, comforting twist, this Authentic Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta is about to steal the show! Juicy, smoky jerk-seasoned chicken meets colorful bell peppers, tender pasta, and a luscious, cheesy cream sauce—aka the ultimate flavor party in a bowl. Dairy-free + Vegan options.
You all have been loving my Rasta Pasta recipes—like my Shrimp Rasta Pasta—so it only felt right to keep the flavor going with this Authentic Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta recipe. It’s loaded with juicy, flavorful chunks of chicken tossed in my homemade Jerk Dry Rub Seasoning.
It’s bold, spicy, creamy, and totally satisfying—perfect for weeknight dinners or when you're craving something with serious flavor. Plus, you can easily make it gluten-free by using your favorite GF pasta, so everyone can get in on the fun. And for a dairy-free, meatless + vegan option, there is always my Creamy Jamaican Rasta Pasta!
Love jerk flavor as much as I do? Be sure to check out more of my favorite jerk recipes while you’re here!
Jump to:
- What Is Rasta Pasta?
- How to Make Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta
- How To Make Homemade Jerk Seasoning
- Can I Use a Jerk Marinade Instead?
- What Are Delicious Foods to Pair This Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta With?
- Can I Swap The Chicken For Another Protein?
- Choosing Your Perfect Pasta
- Authentic Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta Q + A's
- More Traditional Jamaican Recipes to Try
- MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
- Authentic Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta
What Is Rasta Pasta?
Basically, rasta pasta in the Jamaican culture is made from jerk seasoning, bell peppers, cream + pasta. The colors from the dish originally reflected the colors of the Rastafarian culture: red, green, and yellow, which prompted someone to call it "rasta pasta".
However, today, most rasta pasta dishes now reflect the Jamaican flag colors: yellow pasta, blackened chicken, green bell peppers, and fresh herbs (cilantro or parsley).
How to Make Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta
Start making this recipe by boiling your pasta. In the meantime, you marinate your chicken, make your creamy sauce by sautéing a few garlic cloves, and then adding in the seasoning, heavy cream, chicken stock, and white cooking wine. Assemble everything together, stir, simmer, and wallah!
JERK CHICKEN:
- Chicken breast. Chopped into chunks.
- Jerk Dry Rub Seasoning. See my easy 5-minute recipe here, or scroll down!
RASTA PASTA:
- Short-cut pasta. You can use penne, rigatoni, etc. Opt for GF pasta if you need!
- Extra virgin olive oil. Feel free to use your favorite high-quality EVOO. My fave tried and trusted brand is California Olive Ranch.
- Garlic cloves. Minced.
- Bell peppers. You can use an array of colors for a brighter look.
- Fresh thyme sprigs. You could also used dried thyme in a pinch!
- All-purpose flour. This helps to thicken up the sauce!
- Jerk dry rub seasoning. You can reduce to 2 tsps for less jerk flavor.
- Smoked paprika.
- Sea salt. To taste.
- Scotch bonnet pepper. Minced or whole with a slit (You can sub with habanero pepper)
- Heavy cream. I recommend organic–always! I use Organic Valley. Of course, for a dairy-free option, just use full-fat coconut cream/milk.
- Chicken stock/broth. Low-sodium (You can also use vegetable stock, if desired)
- White cooking wine. Choose a dry wine that you like the taste of. You can also omit this and just use additional veggie stock.
- Freshly-grated parmesan cheese.You can also use Mild or Sharp Cheddar!
SHOP MY FAVORITE TOOLS FOR COOKING, ESPECIALLY FOR THIS DISH!
Here, I've curated a list of cooking + baking essentials that I use to achieve my favorite baked goods or cooked meals, especially with Authentic Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta recipe. Everything from my fave cast iron pans, dutch ovens, immersion hand-blender, mixing bowls, and more. SEE THEM HERE!
How To Make Homemade Jerk Seasoning
To make your own jerk seasoning dry rub, you'll need to follow my Homemade Jerk Dry Rub Seasoning recipe using the following:
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- cayenne pepper
- black pepper
- dried thyme
- organic brown sugar
- ground allspice
- dried parsley
- smoked paprika
- red pepper flakes
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- ground cloves
- cumin powder
TO MAKE THE SEASONING BLEND:
- In a bowl, mix together the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, thyme, brown sugar, allspice, parsley, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cumin until combined.
- Store seasoning blend in a tightly sealed mason jar or seasoning jar at room temperature.
- Enjoy!
Can I Use a Jerk Marinade Instead?
Absolutely! In jerk sauce or marinade, the 3 main ingredients that MUST be present are: scotch bonnet, thyme + allspice (aka pimento seeds). You can't remove any of these ingredients or else it wouldn't be considered "jerk". To see the recipe for a jerk marinade,
What Are Delicious Foods to Pair This Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta With?
With most pasta dishes, I often enjoy them with a side of bread of some sort. Most times, I make my own homemade garlic bread, however, you can choose to spruce things up with many other Jamaican-inspired options such as:
- Fried Sweet Plantains
- Jamaican Patties --- Try my Spicy Jamaican Beef Patties or these Flaky Jamaican Curry Chickpea Kale Veggie Patties
- Fried Jamaican Dumplings
- Jerk Chicken Wings --- Spicy + flavorful, a great appetizer.
Can I Swap The Chicken For Another Protein?
If you make this more than once and want to try something other than chicken, or maybe want to try a vegetarian option then you can spruce things up by adding:
VEGGIE
- Roasted chickpeas for added crunch and protein
- Tofu or tempeh
- Mushroom
- Grilled eggplant or zucchini slices
- Kale or other greens!
- Steamed broccoli florets for added greenery
MEAT
- Another type of chicken like Blackened chicken or Shredded chicken
- Salmon or scallops!
- Shirmp
- Chopped bacon, or pancetta
- Oxtails
- Lobster
- Pan seared steak
Choosing Your Perfect Pasta
I love using any short cut pasta because it does a beautiful job of embracing and holding onto the sauce and the texture is just fun to eat! But any of these pasta varieties would work for this dish -
- Penne
- Shells
- Spirals
- Spaghetti
- Tagliatelle
- Perciatelli
- Fettucini
- Paccheri
- Orecchiette
- Ravioli + gnocchi would also go wonderfully with this sauce combo!
Authentic Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta Q + A's
Any leftovers can be kept in a tightly sealed container and refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
Yes simply use your favorite gluten-free pasta and ensure that the cream and stock are GF-friendly. And opt for a GF flour to thicken it.
For a vegan version, see my Creamy Jamaican Rasta Pasta recipe!
The amount of seasoning to use depends on personal taste preferences and the specific dish you are preparing. It is best to start with a small amount (1 Tbsp) and gradually adjust according to your desired flavor intensity (up to 2 Tbsps).
More Traditional Jamaican Recipes to Try
Now that you've fallen in love with the Jamaican flavors in this recipe, I recommend trying out the following amazing Jamaican recipes next:
- Authentic Jamaican Curry Chicken
- Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge
- Vegan Jamaican Beef Patties
- Jamaican Chicken Soup
- Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
- Vegan Rum Raisin Bread (Jamaican-Inspired)
- Jamaican Rum Cream
- Best Homemade Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza
- Spicy Vegan Jamaican Stew Peas
- Baked Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad
MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
If you tried this Authentic Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. And don't forget to tag @orchidsnsweettea_ on Instagram and hashtag it #orchidsandsweettea! I love hearing from you!
Authentic Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta
Ingredients
JERK CHICKEN:
- 1 ½ lbs. organic chicken breast, chopped into chunks
- 1-2 Tbsps Jerk Dry Rub Seasoning
RASTA PASTA:
- 1 (16 oz.) package your fave short-cut pasta (You can use penne, rigatoni, etc.; See Notes for GF option.)
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium bell peppers, chopped
- 2-3 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 Tbsps organic all-purpose flour
- 1-2 Tbsps Jerk Dry Rub Seasoning (You can reduce to 2 tsps for less jerk flavor)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- sea salt, to taste
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper, minced or whole with a slit (You can sub with habanero pepper)
- 1 ½ cups organic heavy cream (See FAQ for dairy-free option!)
- 2 cups organic chicken stock/broth
- 2 Tbsps white cooking wine (You can sub with veggie stock)
- 1 cup freshly-grated parmesan cheese (You can also use Mild or Sharp Cheddar!)
Instructions
MARINATE THE CHICKEN:
- In a bowl, add your freshly cleaned + rinsed chicken chunks along with the Jerk Dry Rub Seasoning, mixing it together until coated. Add coated chicken to a securely sealed ziplock bag and place in the refrigerator for 3 hours (minimum). Best if marinated overnight. When ready to use, let chicken sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before cooking.
BOIL THE PASTA:
- To begin, cook pasta according to packaging. NOTE: penne or most short-cut pasta doesn’t take a long time to cook, usually 8-10 minutes (however, you should cook at 6-8 minutes or so—‘al dente’).
SEAR THE CHICKEN:
- In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and once fully heated, add the marinated chicken and cook on each side until seared, about 3-4 minutes each side. Once done, remove from heat and add to a plate for later.
- In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the chopped bell peppers, scotch bonnet (if mincing), and garlic, sautéing until fragrant and softened a bit, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the smoked paprika, jerk seasoning, and flour, stirring everything together to combine. Whisk in the heavy cream, chicken stock, and white cooking wine until everything thickens and becomes smooth with no lumps visible. Add the seared chicken chunks and thyme sprigs.
- Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 15-18 minutes or until it thickens more and the chicken chunks and peppers become more tender. Stir in the grated parmesan until it has melted and the sauce is even more creamy.
- Add in the cooked pasta and stir until everything is well coated.
- Remove from heat, discard the thyme sprigs, and serve immediately with a garnish of chopped scallions (aka green onions) or additional grated parmesan.
- Bon Appetit!
Tips & Tricks
- STORAGE: Any leftovers can be kept in a tightly sealed container and refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
- SPICES/HERBS: If desired, you can reduce the amounts slightly. Please know that this recipe is bold in flavor, so feel free to adjust based on your tastebuds.
- MEATLESS, DAIRY-FREE, OR VEGAN OPTIONS: For any of these options, see my Creamy Jamaican Rasta Pasta recipe in the FAQ!
Nutrition
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I love this recipe!! So creamy and spicy along with the chicken pieces were a hit in my home.
Hey Darren! Yes!! It's truly one of my faves! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂