Rasta Pasta with Jerk Chicken

Rasta pasta with jerk chicken is a popular Caribbean dish that’s perfect for a weeknight meal, dinner party, or potluck. Rasta pasta is a sort of Italian-meets-Jamaican dish—penne pasta is tossed with a jerk infused cream sauce and colorful bell peppers. You can add any protein of choice, with shrimp and chicken being the most popular. Rasta pasta can also be made completely vegetarian. Any time I make this dish there are barely ever any leftovers, it’s a family favorite!

The variations on Rasta pasta range from chef to chef and within each household. The type of pasta and choice of vegetables is up to you, but one thing is a must—there must be an ample amount of jerk seasoning, so each bite has ample flavor. 

What I love most about Rasta pasta is that it's a complete meal in one pot. Serve it up with a little side of cabbage salad and a nice refreshing drink and you’re all set. It’s the perfect way to taste the islands during the colder winter months, or anytime. 

The Origins of Rasta Pasta

Another name for jerk pasta is Rasta pasta—it was first created in Negril, Jamaica in 1985 by Chef Lorraine Washington in her Paradise Yard restaurant kitchen. Chef Lorraine recalls making fettuccine for a crew of construction workers and topping it with red sauce and then a bit of ackee, Jamaica’s national fruit. The red, green, and yellow colors hinted at Rasta colors which prompted one of the carpenters to call it a “Rasta pasta!”

You are bound to come across it on a menu at a Caribbean restaurant with variations in the choice for pasta, protein, and vegetables. Footprints, a Jamaican restaurant in Brooklyn, New York made this dish popular within the local community. 

Bring on the Heat with Hot Jerk Seasoning

The chicken in this pasta dish is what brings the spice. It’s marinated in hot jerk seasoning and a bit of green seasoning, then sautéed with bell peppers, onions, garlic, and fresh hot peppers, such as Scotch bonnets or habaneros, which enhance the punch. Add heavy cream, Parmesan cheese and a handful of vegetables are to the chicken and peppers then simmer until the cheese melts. Toss in the cooked pasta and serve hot. 

This dish is quite versatile because you can swap it out for whatever veggies you have on hand or are in season. I’ve used shredded cabbage and carrots and other times just a handful of frozen mixed vegetables. Rotini or penne are perfect pasta choices to soak up the luscious sauce. 

What is Jerk Seasoning?

Jerk seasoning is a blend of deep, earthy spices with prominent notes of allspice, nutmeg, black pepper, and cinnamon. Combined with thyme leaves, onion, garlic, ginger, and Scotch bonnet peppers, the seasoning becomes a wet marinade. 

The amount of each ingredient and addition of other spices depends on each cook and household. You can use jerk seasoning on any type of meat or fish. These days, there are even recipes for jerk seasoned vegetables! 

You can find jerk seasoning in a dried rub form or a wet marinade. Many Caribbean grocery stores and online retailers sell both versions. I sometimes make my own marinade, but prefer pre-made for convenience. My favorite brands of pre-made marinades are from Walkerswood or Grace. 

I typically use hot and spicy jerk seasoning for optimal flavor. It also comes in a mild version, but the hot and spicy gets toned down anyway once you add milk to the dish. 

Adding a Little Green Seasoning to My Hot Jerk Seasoning 

Caribbean green seasoning is a seasoning base made of various herbs and vegetables that typically contains onion, scallions, garlic, and pepper. It is widely used in Caribbean cooking to marinate meat and as a flavoring for rice, stews, and soups. In Haitian cooking it’s similar to making an epis or the Latin American seasoning base, sofrito or recaito.

There is no one recipe for green seasoning. It varies by what’s in your fridge and what you feel like adding to the mix. To bring it all together, a little water or oil is added and pulsed in a food processor or blender until slightly smooth. Traditionally this is all minced in a mortar and pestle, but I highly recommend using an appliance to save time. I’ve added some green seasoning to the chicken marinade along with the jerk seasoning. It gives the meat extra flavor!

Adding a Dash of Browning Sauce for Color

I’ve added a small amount of browning sauce to the chicken to give it a little color. This is purely for aesthetics and can be left out of the recipe. Browning sauce is used in West Indian cooking to add a bit of color to meat, rice, and even cakes. I prefer Grace brand browning sauce. You can find it online and at Caribbean grocery stores.

Why We Marinate Chicken

For this recipe the chicken soaks in a mixture of lime juice and water for 15 to 20 minutes and then gently rinsed a couple of times and patted dry. This is a common way that Caribbeans “clean” or “wash” meat. Allowing the acid to work on the chicken helps with removing slime and also preparing the meat to take on the seasonings better. 

Prepping the meat the night before is a huge time-saver and actually makes the meat taste much better—the seasonings really get a chance to soak in.

Making Rasta Pasta Dairy-Free

If you are sensitive to dairy, you can swap the cream for coconut milk (regular, not lite). The brand of coconut milk matters—if the coconut milk is too watery, the pasta will not be creamy enough. The brands I recommend are Trader Joe's, Aroy-D, or Thai Kitchen. 

Cashew and oat milk are also great options because they have a nice creaminess.

More Creamy Pasta Recipes

• Fettuccine Alfredo
• Broccoli Cheddar Mac and Cheese
• Chicken Piccata Pasta 
• Cacio e Pepe
• Pasta with Spinach, Artichokes and Ricotta