Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta

Method

1. Wearing gloves, finely chop half the spring onions, the deseeded Scotch bonnet and half the garlic. Mix them in a bowl with the allspice, thyme, brown sugar, soy sauce, the juice of half the lime and the salt to make a quick jerk marinade. Cut the chicken into 3 cm bite-size pieces, toss them in the marinade and refrigerate for 30 min.

   Add in this stepBoneless chicken thighs 300 gSpring onions (scallions) 1½Scotch bonnet chilli (or habanero) ½Garlic cloves 2Ground allspice ¾ tspFresh thyme leaves, chopped 1 tspBrown sugar 2 tspSoy sauce 1 tbspLime ¼Salt (for the marinade) ½ tsp

2. Bring 2.5 L of water to a boil in a large pot on high heat, add the salt and cook the penne for 10 min, 1 minute less than the packet says; it will finish cooking in the sauce. Scoop out a cup of pasta water before draining.

   Add in this stepPenne 200 gSalt (for the pasta water) 1½ tsp

   high heat

3. Heat the oil in a 26 cm wide frying pan on medium-high heat and add the chicken in a single layer. Cook for 7 min, turning now and then, until well browned outside and cooked through (no pink in the middle, 75 °C). Move the chicken to a plate.

   Add in this stepNeutral oil 1 tbsp

   medium-high heat

4. Turn the heat down to medium heat, melt the butter in the same pan and cook the onion and peppers, cut into thin strips, with the rest of the garlic for 4 min. Scrape up the jerk bits stuck to the pan as you go; they flavour the sauce. Keep a little crunch in the peppers.

   Add in this stepButter 1 tbspOnion ½Bell peppers (mixed red, yellow and green) 1½Garlic cloves 2

   medium heat

5. Pour in the cream and stock and let them bubble gently on medium-low heat for 3 min, until slightly thickened. Stir in the Parmesan a little at a time until melted. Don't let it boil hard or the cream may split.

   Add in this stepDouble cream (heavy cream) 150 mlChicken stock 80 mlParmigiano Reggiano, grated 30 g

   medium-low heat

6. Add the penne and chicken and toss on medium-low heat for 1 min 30 sec. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with splashes of pasta water until glossy. Top with the remaining spring onions, finely sliced, squeeze over the rest of the lime and serve straight away.

   Add in this stepSpring onions (scallions) 1½Lime ¼

   medium-low heat