Hello All. How’s your week going. Mine has been good so far, I can’t complain. I’ve been done with my whole30 reset for about a week now, in my food freedom mode, but still enjoying mostly whole30/paleo meals. Today’s recipe has flavors from the Island, Jamaica to be exact. This recipe is that of spicy jerk chicken, which is native to Jamaica. You can find Jerk chicken in every Island restaurant across the US. Jerk chicken is made by seasoning the chicken with a blend of spices which usually include allspice and scotch bonnet peppers (habanero), which gives it its heat, it can also be a wet marinade as in my recipe below. The chicken generally is marinated overnight in the refrigerator. The longer you marinate any meat, the more flavor, and tenderness. Jerk seasoning is generally a savory/spicy flavor, but some people also add sugar to combat the pepper. This recipe does get some sweetness from coconut aminos (a staple in whole30). The chicken can then be grilled, baked or pan-fried. It is generally grilled. Jerk chicken can be enjoyed with rice and peas/ fried plantains.
In my recipe, the jerk chicken is eaten with curry zucchini stir fry, with peppers and sweet pineapples. I did not use scotch bonnet peppers because I didn’t have any, I used cayenne instead. This recipe is very good for saving on calories, it is fresh, healthy, and also paleo. I’m always all about sweet and spicy, as long as it is not an added sugar. Organic fruit is as natural as it gets. Find the recipe below.
| Prep Time | 20 min |
| Cook Time | 25 min |
| Passive Time | 2 hours |
| Servings |
servings
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- 4 pieces boneless skinless thighs
- 6 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cayanne pepper
- 1 tsp garlic power
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp all spice powder
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cups Water
- 3 pieces green onion /scallions blended with the water
- 6 whole zucchini
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1.5 cup thinly cliced red bell pepper
- 1.5 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper
- 1 tsp all spice
- oil
- 2 Cups pineapple chunks
- 1/2 Half of an onion
Ingredients
jerk chicken thighs and zucchini/pineapple noodles
zucchini noodles
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- Pour coconut aminos and blended scallions into a large mixing bowl. Combine all dried jerk seasonings, toss in the aminos and mix well.
- Add chicken and toss, make sure to tenderize chicken with a fork or tenderizing tool. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hrs.
- After 2 hrs, heat a large skillet on high heat drizzle with oil. When hot add chicken, top with most of the remaining marinade.
- Cook for 15 min, making sure to cook both sides.
- sliced peppers and pineapples.
- Heat a large skillet on high heat, add 1 tbsp of light olive oil. Toss in peppers and onions. Sprinkle with seasonings, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Next, add pineapples, then the zucchini. Cook for about five minutes, and remove from heat.
- finally, slice and cube chicken.
- Divide noodles into 4 small bowls, and sprinkle with chicken. Enjoy.
Can’t wait to make this tomorrow!!
We used chicken breasts and cooked over charcoal, and the recipe was a success. The flavor was not muted at all, even though we only had two hours to marinate (we used our food savor marinade dish).
Made this tonight – so good! Even my picky 9 year old boys liked it (hesitant on the veggies, haha! but loved the chicken!) will definitely be making again!