First - Jerk Chicken Dish - The EASY way.
● Open 2 10 oz jars Traditional Jerk Seasoning.
● WALKERSWOOD TRADITIONAL makes a great Jamaican Jerk seasoning and, has all the fantastic flavors I remember from my visit there.
● If you can't find that specific brand - here's a quick Chefs tip. Jarred Jamaican Jerk Seasoning is one of those few culinary items where the most expensive - is usually the best. So look for the $6.00+ per bottle range.
FOR YOUR EASY CHICKEN PURÉE
● Purée these ingredients in a blender.
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 large onion, roughly chop
2 scotch bonnet peppers [habeneros will work as well - optional]
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried thyme
10 garlic cloves
1/8 cup lime juice
● Mix this simple purée to your 2 10 oz bottles of jarred jerk seasoning.
Rinse 8 pieces of bone in chicken and pat dry. Your choice of cut. I typically use thighs. Skin on. They tend to lend more fat and flavor.
Marinate chicken in your jerk seasoning and purée mixture in a large zip lock bag for 2+ hours. Or, even overnight if possible.
● Bake chicken plus marinade at 400° for 1 hour. Following that, peirce your thickest piece of chicken with a knife. If the juices run clear, they're done. If not, bake a bit longer.
● Pull from oven and char chicken on a heated BBQ grill until there's a nice cross hatch char on each piece.
● Side note: Since both of my grills were completely frozen shut, I couldn't grill my chicken tonight. Just try to visualize them with a glorious, delectable, solid cross cut char on them. ;0)
● I would eventually be forced to fry them on high with a minimal amount of high heat oil to achieve a decent char. Then, I drained them on paper towels. I also fried in 4 piece batches.
Charred thighs draining on paper towels.
FOR THE EASY SPICY RICE & BEANS
5 cups microwavable brown or white rice. Or, use both. [i'll usually mix it up with a cup of uncle bens microwavable red beans and rice]
1 cup firm kidney beans [drained]
1 splash frying oil
2/3 cup chicken broth [you may need a bit more]
3/4 cup white onions [small chop]
2 cloves garlic [minced]
1 tsp Tony Chachere's Seasoning
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1 Scotch Bonnet or Habenero pepper [fine minced or leave whole and pull after frying - it'll still leave behind the heat and flavor]
1 splash coconut milk
● Fry/sweat everything [except for beans, rice and broth] together until opaque or, translucent. About 4 minutes. Be careful not to burn your garlic though. Stir regularly.
● Add your rice, beans and broth and fry covered until both are fully heated and rice has absorbed the fluid. Stir regularly.
FOR THE EASY FAUX PLANTAINS
[since plantains are somewhat harder to find]
4 extremely firm bananas [cut into 1/2" slices at an angle]
High heat cooking Oil
Fresh Lime Wedges [as needed]
● Heat oil on high. Then, fry bananas in oil on medium high until golden brown.
● Drain on paper towels and generously drizzle bananas with lime juice.
That's it. Easy peasy!
● Consider serving this dish on sizzling cast iron skillets.
Definitely pair this dish with ice cold Red Stripe Beer. Together, they're always a refreshing and delicious duo!
Second recipe - Jerk Chicken Dish - The HARD way. But, It's far more more traditional.
FOR THE CHICKEN
8 pieces of chicken - bone in - your choice of cut. Rinse chicken and pat dry.
FOR THE JERK CHICKEN SEASONINGS
● Toast seasonings in pan then, fine grind these ingredients.
1/2 of 1 nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cloves, whole
1/2 tsp allspice
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
FOR THE JERK CHICKEN PURÉE
● Purée these ingredients in a blender.
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 large onion, roughly chop
2 scotch bonnet peppers
3/4 tsp dried thyme
10 garlic cloves
● Add both your toasted / ground spices and purée to a bowl. Then, hand stir in the following ingredients.
1/4 cup fresh lime juice [or more to taste]
1/2 cup soy sauce [or more to taste]
1/4 cup raw sugar [or more to taste]
FOR THE BEANS AND RICE
2 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups long-grain rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 cup water
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups coconut milk
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 whole scotch bonnet chile (can substitute a whole habanero)
Lime juice [to taste]
TO COOK THE RICE
● Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until they begin to brown on the edges.
● Add the garlic and rice, stir well and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
● Add the grated ginger, salt, water, stock and coconut milk and stir well. Add the kidney beans and sprinkle the thyme over everything. Add the whole Scotch bonnet chile. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat to low and cover.
● The rice should be done in about 15-20 minutes, depending on the type of rice you are using. Check after 15 minutes. Once done, remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes. To serve, fluff with a fork. Sprinkle with a little lime juice if you want. Discard the habanero.
FOR THE PLANTAINS
4 plantains [cut into 1/2" slices]
as needed Cooking Oil
fresh lime wedges
● Fry Plantains in oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and lightly drizzle with lime juice.
Enjoy!
