I use to make a baked Jamaican chicken dish almost every week. Then for some reason I stopped. I haven’t made it in several years. I guess at one point we had got burned out on it. But yesterday I started to taste it. I love the flavor of Jamaican jerk seasonings. Most jerk seasoning recipes vary in the type of spices they use. But for the most part, a Jamaican blend will include cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice, along with other more traditionally savory spices. I’ve heard many people say that a good Jamaican Jerk seasoning blend just has alot of spices in it, with a little spicy kick if you want. In this recipe I included as an optional ingredient red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. I prefer red pepper flakes, but didn’t include any in the recipe I made for my family because it might have been too spicy for my son.
As a side, I served a Jamaican inspired rice salad. I added pineapple, black beans, colorful red peppers and red onions. I added a dressing with lime juice and all the same spices I used in the chicken. It was really good, so good in fact, my son went straight to the fridge the next morning to grab the container so he could have the leftovers for breakfast.
Alternatively, you can use a pre-made jerk seasoning blend instead of the spices listed.
Yield: Serves 4
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
the juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon dried thyme
a few pinches of red pepper flake or a dash or cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
For the rice salad:
3 cups cooked rice
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups chopped pineapple, fresh or canned
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
Dressing
the juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Add all spices to a small bowl and mix well.
3. Squeeze lime juice over chicken. Then drizzle oil over chicken.
4. Sprinkle spices over both sides of chicken.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees.
For the rice salad:
1. Cook rice according to package directions. For more flavor, I cook it with chicken stock.
2. Combine all ingredients for salad in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients for dressing but oil. Whisk well. While whisking, stream in olive oil.
3. Pour dressing over salad and toss well.
