I probably have a million (ok, maybe really just 10 or 12) recipes for Jerk Chicken in my files of recipes to try. So when I saw a recipe for jerk chicken in this month’s cookbook I decided I would finally give it a try.
When I was a kid/adolescent (according to Eric, when I refer to being a ‘Kid” it could either mean age 5 or 15) my family was really good friends with another family that was from Jamaica. They cooked authentic Jamaican food, several times for various functions. One time they made this Jamaican Jerk Chicken that was very delicious. And maybe because I am worried that no recipe I will find will be as good as I remember their Jamaican Jerk being I have been skeptical to try any of the millions of recipes I have for jerk chicken.
Well this recipe is not exactly as I remember Jamaican Jerk Chicken being, but it was good. A very complex mix of flavors and spices. It was pretty spicy so you could leave out the adobe sauce if you need to. Eric said he did not care for this chicken because of all the different flavors (I guess your palate just has to be used to complex flavors).
The original recipe does call for 2 red chillies, however, since my grocery store was out when I went shopping I substituted 2 adobe chillies and added a tablespoon of it’s sauce.
Jerk Chicken
adapted from 365 Dish A Day
2 chpotile chilies (from the can), finely chopped + 1 tablespoon adobe sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoons scallion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
2-4 chicken breasts (I used 2 but the recipe called for 4, use more or less depending on how much sauce/marinade you want on each)
Mix all ingredients together. Brush chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pour marinade mixture over chicken and let marinate for at least 8 hours (marinate more or less depending on how strong you want the flavors to be.