We are still riding our post-vacation high! We’ve been reminiscing about ridiculously attractive brother and sister, afraid of the water guy, and Italians in small bikinis from our hotel, Ben’s been complimenting me on how “rasta” my cooking smells, and I’ve been very laid back in my requests such as, hey mon, can you come pick up your clothes from the living room floor, mon? Much love! instead of, listen, you really need to get your crap out here or I’m going to go completely bananas.
Kidding! Kind of… ;)
Before we come back down to earth though, and start eating things like cheese and skittles again (Jamaican food is very healthy!) I wanted to try and recreate one of the meals we had nearly every afternoon at our resort, Jerk Chicken with Red Beans & Rice.
Ben and I were both amped to try authentic jerk chicken upon our arrival in Jamaica, and practically whooped out loud after learning there was a jerk chicken shack located RIGHT on the beach of our hotel, and that it was open for lunch everyday.
We quickly fell in love – nay, become obsessed – with the Caribbean-spiced chicken which was slow roasted until the meat was juicy and succulent, then grilled until the skin crisped and sizzled.
Every afternoon we’d take a break from sun and surf, line up at the shack, and eagerly watch the cook whack a couple cooked chicken in half with his cleaver, then generously pile the pieces onto our plates. We’d fill the other side with fluffy, creamy red beans and rice, and then drizzle the whole thing with homemade sauce.
Hot for him, BBQ for her. Devoured, and plates licked clean under a shady tree with a cold red stripe.
It doesn’t get better than this! we’d exclaim every afternoon. Well! After some research I found a ton of jerk chicken recipes to try at home, and was tickled pinker than my sunburn after finding one in the comments section of a blog that didn’t involve several complicated marinating steps, which several others had called for. The guy, Rich, had been making the recipe every week for years. Dang! How bad could it be?!
Not bad AT ALL!
It’s hard to compete with authentic jerk chicken made in Jamaica, on the beach, by a Jamaican – but for an American attempt at home, I think it was pretty good!
Start by mixing up a marinade for the jerk chicken in large bowl or dish.
The marinade is made up of a dry component including dried thyme, allspice, sugar, ground sage, cayenne pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon.
And a wet component including white vinegar, olive oil, orange juice, soy sauce and lime juice.
Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to create a super slurry of flavor.
Stir in chopped white onion, green onion, and crushed garlic cloves, then stir to combine.
Next add chicken breasts to the bowl, and cover them completely in the marinade. The chef in Jamaica used whole chickens, but boneless, skinless chicken breasts work better when you want to get dinner on the table in under an hour. ;)
After marinating for a few hours, I’d ordinarily grill these suckers up until they were crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside, but since we’re still without a grill over here, I used the upside down grill, and broiled them instead.
Place an oven rack one rung down from the top, spread the chicken out on a broiling rack or foil-covered baking sheet, and broil for 5-6 minutes a side, or until cooked all the way through, brushing with leftover marinade every few minutes.
Drizzle with your favorite BBQ or hot sauce, then pair with a big scoop of Jamaican-style red-beans and rice on the side, and enjoy!
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