Jerk Chicken Bowl

Ingredients

Jerk rub (enough for 1 lb+ of boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts)

• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp-1/2 tsp pepper (1/2 tsp of pepper and 1/2 tsp of cayenne will make this very very spicy – but typical for jerk chicken; diminish the amount according to your preferences as to heat)
• 1/4 tsp-1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Jerk Sauce (to be passed around at the table as a topping for the chicken, if you’re looking to add some spice and authenticity; omit it if you don’t have time or thyme. OMG.)  I put it all in a blender and serve it out of a salad dressing-kind of bottle, but you can also mince the scallions and onion and chile and then whisk it all together with a fork, if you want to serve it by the spoonful from a little bowl.

• 1 T lime juice
• 2 T apple cider vinegar
• 1 T soy sauce
• 2 T water (or more, if it’s too spicy or too thick)
• 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 bunch of scallions (green onions), coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 habanero or Scotch bonnet chile, membrane and seeds removed (more, if you’re a little on the crazy side)
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp Indian Tamarind paste (or 1/3 c pureed fresh pineapple or mango – or even orange juice, if you don’t have the others)

Chicken

• About 1 pound of boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (or breasts, if you must), cut into bite-size pieces (about 2″ each); cubes of pork will also work
• 2 T of vegetable oil to fry the chicken in
• 1/2 c scallions (green onions), chopped, divided in half.  Half will be stirred into the chicken and half will be added just before serving
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Place the cut-up chicken pieces in a plastic bag; add the jerk rub and “massage” the bag so that the rub covers all the pieces;  allow to sit at room temperature for about 1/2 hour. Heat a large skillet or wok (my choice) until it’s very hot; add the vegetable oil and heat until it’s shimmering.  Put in the chicken and stir and fry until it’s no longer pink and is nicely browned – 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately add half of the scallions and the garlic and stir in.  Dish up the Jamaican Rice and Beans in individual bowls, top it with the jerk chicken, sprinkle the remaining chopped scallions on top and serve.  If you made the jerk sauce, pass it around at the table.  Yum.