Blackened Chicken Penne
with Charred Green Pepper & Monterey Jack
- Wheat
- Milk
This pasta may break the rules, but it does so deliciously: Instead of going the traditional Italian route, our chefs opted to mix things up with a jumble of Southwestern flavors. The pre-cut chicken breast strips are seasoned with blackening spices and tossed in the pan until they’re perfectly smoky and savory. Green pepper and diced tomato add texture and more unconventional flair, while the Monterey Jack cheese sauce brings supreme creaminess to the penne.
Ingredients
1 unit
Long Green Pepper
2 unit
Scallions
1 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Tomato
10 ounce
Chopped Chicken Breast
1 tablespoon
Blackening Spice
6 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
4 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
¼ cup
Monterey Jack Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
1 teaspoon
Hot Sauce
Not included in your delivery
1 tablespoon
Olive Oil
2 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Salt
Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Core, deseed, and dice green pepper into 1⁄2-inch pieces. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Peel and thinly slice garlic. Finely chop tomato.
• In a large bowl, combine a large drizzle of olive oil, Blackening Spice, and a few big pinches of salt. • Pat chicken* dry with paper towels; add to bowl and turn to coat.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve 1⁄2 cup pasta cooking water (1 cup for 4 servings), then drain and set aside.
• While pasta cooks, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium- high heat. Add green pepper and a pinch of salt. Cook, without stirring, until lightly charred, 3-4 minutes. • Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. • Stir in scallion whites and garlic. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute. • Stir in half the tomato and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium low.
• Stir in cream cheese and 1/3 cup reserved pasta cooking water (2/3 cup for 4 servings). • Add drained penne and cook, stirring, until thoroughly combined, 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat. • Add Monterey Jack, stock concentrate, 2 TBSP butter (3 TBSP for 4), and as much hot sauce as you like; stir until butter melts. Season with salt and pepper. TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.
• Divide pasta between bowls or plates. Garnish with scallion greens and remaining tomato. Drizzle with any remaining hot sauce if desired and serve.
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165º.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavor: Many loved the unique Southwestern twist on pasta, with just the right amount of spice and creaminess 🌶️.
- Ease of prep: Customers found this quick and easy to make, with pre-chopped chicken saving time.
- Suggestions: Consider adding extra vegetables like corn, zucchini or peas for more texture and nutrition.
- Portions: Some found it generously sized with leftovers; others wished for more chicken relative to pasta.
- Chicken quality: Several noted issues with fatty or gristly chicken pieces; many preferred whole chicken breast.
Reviews from our home cooks
This is the best dish I have eaten. I never knew I love Blackened Chicken this much until now. Thanks! The dish was easy to make, it didn't have much crazy stuff in it, the flavors were fantastic, and the food lasts for a while.
Excellent meal. Loved the blackened seasoning for the chicken. Everything went together really well. Very tasty. One of my favorite pasta dishes and I will get this one again.
I loved the flavors of this penne dish. It was spicy but not too hot. The sauce was perfect for this meal. One of my favorite pasta meals so far.
It was delicious! Super savory, it was different from what I usually eat but it was tasty and I loved the aroma that came from the blackened seasoning
The pasta was delicious we loved the texture it seemed a little thicker than store brand Penne. The mixture of spices and cheese was perfect
When marinating the chicken, the intensity of the blackened spice is not apparent. It's pretty heated!! If you're cooking with kids, I would add only a dash. If you like heat on heat, use the full amount req. but if you don't want a fiery mouth use half the req amount. Chicken bits in the pack were ok. We had a good bit that were not chewable.
Not much flavor in this recipe as it is. Tasted it at the end of cooking and I added 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro, 1/2 c sour cream, extra cajun seasoning (liberally just sprinkled it over the top and stirred it in) and added some additional pepper jack cheese to the top and broiled it to make it taste better. It was yummy after that but my family would not have enjoyed the recipe as is.
Increased Blackening Spice, Butter and Cream Cheese by 50%. Doubled Garlic, Hot Sauce (with Sriracha) and stock concentrate. Added all of the tomato to the penne and added some Tomato paste.
Good meal, quick and easy to prepare. Maybe offer it with a Barbecue spice in addition to the Blackened Spice to have an option with sweet hints.
It was easy to make and tasted good. But I wish it had more vegetables. I wish there was also an option to use whole wheat penne instead.
