I think you will agree that for most part I cook yummy things.
But here is a first - even for me!
So tantalizing was this chicken when it came out of the oven that I promptly sat down on the table, served the kids and dug in. I also forgot to call Mr. Hubby to dinner & just started eating. It was only when Mr. Hubby walked over to the table and said "What are you doing? I thought you were blogging this - what no pics?" that I went "Oh C**p, I FORGOT to blog this and too late for final pics"!
Now, I have been making a recipe for Jerk Chicken for years but one twist, thanks to my friend Zibi, sent this chicken into a whole new dimension. I'm talking the addition of green onions. Seriously, that was the magic that had me finger licking the marinade the night before and resulting in a chook so delicious that I forgot all about blogging.
And any dish that makes me forget about blogging, should have all of you running for the supermarket!
Now.
Gather the ingredients - chicken, cut at the joints, ground allspice, brown sugar, dark soy sauce, garlic cloves, serrano chilli pepper or scotch bonnet chilly, cayenne pepper, green onions, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, dried thyme, salt, black ground pepper and vegetable oil.
Good to know :
I have taken some artistic liberties and continued using brown sugar instead of honey, also using vegetable oil in the marinade as well as severely reducing the quantity of chilly peppers and substituting scotch bonnet peppers for serrano chiles.
By all means, if you can handle the heat use the scotch bonnet peppers as is traditional to this recipe but with younger kids I have found that the a serrano chile adds a touch of heat and keeps the tears away from the dinner table.
Prepare the ingredients -
Chicken - Cut the defrosted chicken at the joints, getting rid of excess fat. Leave skin on for a more moist chicken but it is still good skinless and releases less fat in the pan.
Green onions - Discard root tips and roughly chop including the leaves
Garlic cloves - Peel and leave whole.
Use a small food processor and add the green onions, the garlic cloves, serrano or scotch bonnet chillies, cayenne pepper, soy sauce, vegetable oil, brown sugar, ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, dried thyme leaves, salt and black ground pepper.
Grind to a paste. Taste & adjust the seasonings in the marinade. I think you'll find it finger licking good.
Place the chicken in a zip lock bag. Pour the marinade into the bag and seal the bag. Shake till the chicken is thoroughly coated. Refrigerate OVERNIGHT. This makes all the difference to the flavor.
The next day, an hour and a half before serving, preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Remove the chicken from the ziplock bag with the marinade into a 9"x 13" baking dish.
Bake for about 45 minutes if the chicken is skinless and about 55-60 minutes for chicken with skin until the chicken is cooked.
Serve immediately.
So flavor infused is this chicken that the taste is hard to beat. Absolutely delicious, each bite is a burst of spices and flavors. The meat is moist and tender and perfectly cooked.
This makes a wonderful meal for a family dinner or even for company. If serving for company, fried bananas and black beans and rice would be perfect accompaniments.
Recipe for
Oven Baked Caribbean Jerk Chicken
Preparation time - 15 minutes
Marinating time - Overnight
Baking time - 45 minutes - 1 hour
Serves 4
Shopping list
4 lbs chicken, defrosted
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves
2 cups chopped green onions (about 2 large bundles)
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Serrano or scotch bonnet peppers (more if you like)
1-1/4 tbs ground allspice
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Preparation:
Chicken - Cut the defrosted chicken at the joints, getting rid of excess fat. Leave skin on for a more moist chicken but it is still good skinless and releases less fat in the pan.
Green onions - Discard root tips and roughly chop including the leaves
Garlic cloves - Peel and leave whole.
Use a small food processor for this step and to this add the green onions, the garlic cloves, serrano or scotch bonnet chillies, cayenne pepper, soy sauce, vegetable oil, brown sugar, ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, dried thyme leaves, salt and black ground pepper.
Grind to a paste.Taste & adjust the seasonings in the marinade. I think you'll find it finger licking good
Place the chicken in a zip lock bag. Pour the marinade into the bag and seal the bag. Shake till the chicken is thoroughly coated. Refrigerate OVERNIGHT. This makes all the difference to the flavor.
Cooking Method:
The next day, an hour and a half before serving, preheat the oven to 400 deg F
Remove the chicken from the zip lock bag with the marinade into a 9"x 13" baking dish.
Bake for about 45 minutes if the chicken is skinless and about 55-60 minutes for chicken with skin until the chicken is cooked.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
