“Jerk” was a term we were not allowed to use growing up. It was right up there with “shut up”, “stupid”, “ain’t”, and other such phrases. We may have been sweet girls — no potty mouths allowed — but we still thought some terms were really funny. Imagine our near-hysterics as the pastor at our grandparent’s church repeatedly said “fart” during his sermon. In his defense, the message was in Swedish, and “fart” had nothing to do with intestinal gas. Instead, the message was on the coming Day of the Lord as described in the book of Joel chapter 3, and “fart” means “speed” in Swedish.
Fast-forward (pun intended) nearly 50 years, and jerk seasoning has become a favorite around here. Most commonly connected to Jamaica, this spice blend has a couple mainstay ingredients: allspice and scotch bonnet peppers. Other ingredients frequently included are ginger and garlic. This recipe also contains cilantro for freshness and lime for zing. If you can’t find scotch bonnet peppers, try substituting habañeros, which are not quite so hot.
I like to slice the chicken breasts about 1/2″ thick, so every bite of meat is screaming with flavor. Whipping up the marinade is pretty quick with the assistance of a food processor. Make sure you leave time for the chicken to marinate — 4-6 hours is ideal. Mixing together the yoghurt and lime sauce at the same time allows flavors to “marry” and balance each other out.
Once it comes to baking, the process goes lickety-split. Eight minutes in the oven, and a total of 4 minutes under the broiler is all the chicken needs. Since scorched garlic is not pleasant, what the jerk chicken lacks in color, it makes up in flavor.
As you can see, a little bit of prep time in the morning allows this jerk chicken to be on the table with “fart”! (Okay, throwing in Swedish terms when discussing a Jamaican dish might not be normal, but then again, I’ve never been normal!!!)
Jerk Chicken with Creamy Yoghurt and Lime Sauce
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 6 servings
Description
With a little morning prep time, jerk chicken can be on the table very quickly!
Ingredients
For the marinade:
2 scotch bonnet or habañero peppers, seeds and ribs removed
1 large bunch fresh cilantro, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup oil — avocado or olive
1 head of garlic, cloves separated, peeled, and roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Tbsp sugar
1 large lime, zested and juiced
1 Tbsp ground allspice
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
4-5 large chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2″ strips
For the sauce:
1 cup greek yoghurt
1 large lime, zested and juiced
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Put all marinade ingredients into a blender or food processor, and blend thoroughly
Put meat in a large ziploc bag or covered glass dish, add marinade, and refrigerate for 4-6 hours
Stir together sauce ingredients and refrigerate
Preheat oven to 425℉. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Lay chicken pieces in a single layer on the pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and broil for 2 minutes. Flip the chicken again and broil an additional 2 minutes.
Serve on a bed of coconut rice, with salad, with roasted sweet potatoes, or topped with mango salsa.
Notes
In order to limit carbs and calories, use 1/4 cup rice per serving. Create a ring on the plate with rice, fill with meat and top with sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
