Blackened Salmon Penne
with Charred Poblano & Monterey Jack Cheese
- Milk
- Wheat
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. Chicken breast strips are seasoned with blackening spices and tossed in the pan until they’re perfectly smoky and savory. Poblano pepper and diced tomato add texture and more unconventional flair, while the Monterey Jack cheese sauce brings supreme creaminess to the penne.
Ingredients
10 ounce
Chopped Chicken Breast
1 unit
Onion
4 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
1 unit
Long Green Pepper
6 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
¼ cup
Monterey Jack Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Tomato
1 clove
Garlic
1 teaspoon
Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon
Blackening Spice
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Core, deseed, and dice poblano into ½-inch pieces. Halve, peel, and finely dice half the onion (all for 4 servings). 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 stir to coat.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve ½ 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 mediumhigh heat. Add poblano and a pinch of salt. Cook, undisturbed, until lightly charred, 3-4 minutes. • Add chicken in a single layer and diced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. • Stir in garlic. Cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. • Stir in half the tomato and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat under pan to medium low.
• Stir Philadelphia cream cheese and 1⁄3 cup reserved pasta cooking water (2⁄3 cup for 4 servings) into pan with chicken and veggie mixture. • 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 pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.
• Divide pasta between bowls or plates. Garnish with remaining tomato. Drizzle with any remaining hot sauce if desired and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavor: Many loved the creamy, spicy sauce with smoky poblano peppers, though some found it needed more seasoning or heat 🌶️.
- Ease of prep: Generally easy to make, though a few noted longer prep time for chopping vegetables or uneven chicken pieces.
- Suggestions: Consider adding extra vegetables like spinach or broccoli; some preferred cooking the pasta longer for a softer texture.
- Leftovers: Several mentioned it made generous portions, perfect for next-day lunches.
- Protein: Some found the chicken quality inconsistent; others enjoyed the salmon version but felt it didn't quite fit the dish.
Reviews from our home cooks
I liked the creaminess of the sauce and the blackened seasoning on the salmon. Your photo shows scallions but there were none in the recipe. They weren't necessary though since there was onion and garlic already.
I've made Blackened Chicken Penne before joining HelloFresh, but I enjoyed this dish more than anytime in the past. HelloFresh spices are always fresh and full of flavor.
Made a lot of food. I do recommend cooking the penne for 11-12 minutes as opposed to 10.
Eliminate the cheese and the cream cheese - too much saturated fat. We doubled the poblana pepper and added a can of petite diced tomatoes to this recipe.
Was thrilled with this. Had never cooked with poblano peppers before - you made it easy. My husband doesn't care for pasta dishes as a rule and he loved this.
I don't typically love blackened seasoning and I'm not a huge pasta fan so I was surprised when I really enjoyed this meal.
It was tasty and had a nice heat to it. Added broccoli and made the poblanos separately for myself as my husband isn't a fan of peppers. We'd enjoy having this one again in the future.
Great flavors but the blackening spice came off the chicken once it was mixed into the pasta and sauce. I guess I was hoping to have a "punch" of blackened flavor on the chicken instead of it smoothing out into the sauce. Nice flavors but presentation was a little off.
I really liked the way this dish came together. The blackening spice brought a very good bite to the dish. Could've done with more cheese. I would order this dish again.
This was one I had my doubts on...blackened pasta?? But we are trying new food we are bored with everything, so gave it a try...Boy I was so wrong! This one will be saved to fav list!
