Jerk style chicken with peach and cucumber salsa

What is it with Diets in January? I like creating healthy recipes and eating them, don’t get me wrong but why is it that when as soon as New years Eve is out of the way, people seemed to have consumed so many calories over Christmas, they must be the size of Brazil by now! 
 I don’t actually eat that much over Christmas, maybe the wrong type of foods yes but never anymore than normal really. I can’t afford much more! I say eat in moderation, have a balanced diet. Plus that way you get a wide range of foods and with the added cheeky treat.

  So I thought my readers I’d share a recipe I did back in the summer of last year that isn’t super healthy but has a lot of benefits in it thats better than a Pork pie…Ooh any of that left?
  This Jamaican marinade has so many different versions all over the world, from Grandmas recipe that has been passed down the years in a Caribbean household to such as my recipe here which I have created. Some may argue it isn’t a true Jerk recipe but its one I have been doing for sometime now and it never fails to impress people. 
  With Jerk recipes, some are dry and some are wet. I have gone for the more wet and sticky version so be prepared as you wont be able to eat this elegantly.

    The many times I have done this dish, I’ve served it with wedges, sweet potato, rice and coleslaw, ( not all at once) however it was now time for a real fruity kick of a salsa and you can’t get more refreshing than this with the added cucumber. The coconut oil adds a real sheen and added class to it. You could even use fresh coconut in there, finely grated or sliced.
  A comforting dish still for January but with some added healthy Oomph as well.



Jerk style chicken with a peach and cucumber 
salsa:




Ingredients:
(Serves 3 people)
Chicken:
–    3 Chicken drumsticks, 3 thighs
  • 3 Garlic Cloves finely chopped
  • 1 Medium sized Red Chilli finely diced, more if you like it really spicy
  • Thumbnail size of Fresh Ginger grated
  • 2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
  •   1 Tbsp Soy sauce 
  •   1 Tbsp Malt Vinegar
  •   2 Tbsp of good quality Jerk seasoning ( depending on how powerful the seasoning is)( I used Spice Kitchen’s
  •   Spritz of Lime
  •   Sprinkle of caster sugar
  •   1 tbsp of Rapeseed oil
Salsa:
  • 3 peaches Peeled and diced
  •   3 inch size of cucumber peeled,de-seeded and finely diced
  •   1/2 red pepper 
  •   Half a red chilli finely chopped and de-seeded
  •   Handful of fresh chopped coriander
  •   1 tsp- 1 tbsp of Coconut oil, depending on how much it 
  •     A good squeeze of fresh Lime juice ( no more than half )
  •   A good squeeze of Fresh Orange ( no more than a quarter of a large orange )



Method:
*  Place all marinade ingredients into a bowl and mix together
  • Make some score lines in your chicken and add to your marinade, working it into he chicken. Cover your bowl and leave in the fridge from 6 hours up to 24 hours if you can. (The longer the better)
  • Chop all ingredients for your salsa and set aside in the fridge
  • Pre-heat oven on 190c-200c
*  Check if your chicken looks a little dry, add a bit more of rapeseed oil, not too much as the chicken has skin on.
  • Pop your Chicken into the baking tray/dish of your choice and pop in the oven for 30 minutes or until all cooked through and sticky on top.
*  Serve with your Salsa and your ready.





A friday night supper change

When Friday nights come upon us, I always find it difficult to know what to cook?  Mainly because my Partner travels a fair way from work and also I know that He and I will want a little tipple or two, with it being Friday night.  So you begin to wonder, hmmm, I would like takeaway/Friday night food but also something that isn’t too heavy? Am I right or am I right?! 
 Well… This Friday, just gone…Oh did I accomplish this! Aarrghhh! I still get excited, still thinking about it now! I decided to go down the Carribean cuisine as Its a culture I have never cooked really before so Now is the time! And I have to say …Im hooked with Jonathan Phang’s show at the minute which encouraged me to try my own take at the lovely Fresh, Fruity, spicy amazing cuisine! 
 I decided to not be too adventurous at first and stick with something I thought could not fail, and it didnt …











Spiced Jerk Chicken with a Coconut infused rice and Sweet Pepper Sauce 

For 2 People, maybe a little more! 😉
For the Chicken Marinade:

2 Chicken Breasts ( or you could use Thighs or Drumsticks)
1 tbsp Jerk Seasoning 
Fresh Coriander (small handfull)
a good sprig of Fresh thyme taken off the twigs
Red and Green Chillies (half of each) diced finely.
Lime
Groundnut oil ( or Sunflower/Vegetable oil with be fine also)
Fresh Garlic 2-3 cloves roughly chopped
Salt and Pepper

Marinate the Chicken for at least two hours, the longer you can, the better.

Sweet Pepper Sauce:

Red, Yellow and Green peppers 1/4 -1/2 of each
2 White onions, could also use red
Chopped Pineapple, I used roughly a quarter of the pineapple
Chopped Tomatoes 1/4 of a tin
Olive oil
Garlic (use plenty, I used 3-4 cloves)

Coconut infused Rice:

I used Basmati rice for this recipe.  I tend to use my rice cooker as I then have more room in my kitchen so in rice cookers you don’t put in much water. With the right requirements of water I then added Coconut cream (half a packet).

I roasted the pepper sauce in the oven for just under 10 minutes and then placed the chicken on top with a good ‘ol stir!  

And all in all… a very light,  fresh,  healthy dish that In my eyes is good to eat all year around.  Cant wait to experiment more with this one in Summer! 😉

©Chez J9 2013