Jerk Chicken Bowl
Jamaican spiced grilled Jerk Chicken with rice, black beans, cilantro, fresh pineapple and mango, and red peppers.
This is a recipe straight from my cousin, Michelle, and it is one of my favorites. When I was pregnant with my second child, I was super sick. I lived in the same neighborhood as my cousin and she was the Queen of service. She would drop off dinner, snacks, Jack Johnson CD's and anything else to bring some joy.
I will never forget when she brought this Jerk Chicken dinner to our family. I couldn't keep much down but I remember trying this and loving it and ultimately begging for the recipe.
The Jerk Chicken is made by marinating it in spices, hot sauce, lime juice, and a touch of oil. It makes it extra juicy and flavorful.
When we went on a Caribbean cruise, one of the stops was Jamaica. We went on an excursion and they fed us lunch. The main course was jerk chicken and I was hooked. Don't feed me bland chicken...I only want it to be bursting with flavor!
The ingredients used to make this Jamaican Jerk Chicken are hot sauce, scallions, garlic, fresh lime juice, allspice, cinnamon, brown sugar, thyme, salt and pepper, and a little oil. The combination of spices brings warmth, smokiness, and spiciness to the chicken. Allspice is reminiscent of warm cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg and is widely used in Caribbean and Latin American cooking.
The chicken can be marinated for at least 30 minutes but 4-8 hours is ideal. I suggest grilling the chicken to give it an extra layer of smokiness. Let it rest and then slice into pieces.
This Jerk Chicken Bowl can be layered in a bowl with cooked rice tossed with black beans, cilantro, and lime juice. Add some fresh fruit such as pineapple or mango to tie in the Caribbean flavors. Then add some red, yellow, and orange peppers for crunch.
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Jerk Chicken Bowl
Ingredients
Jerk Chicken:
- 4-6 Chicken Breasts (about 1 ½ to 2 lbs)
- ⅔ cup Hot Sauce (such as Valentina Mexican hot sauce)
- 2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- ¼ cup Fresh Lime Juice (from about 3-4 limes)
- 2 Tablespoons Ground Allspice
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons Thyme
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons Salt
- 2 teaspoons Pepper
- 1 cup Scallions, chopped (optional)
- ¼ cup Oil (optional)
Bowl Ingredients:
- White Rice
- Black Beans (can be tossed with scallions, cilantro, and lime juice)
- Pineapple
- Mango
- Red, Orange, and Yellow Peppers
- Cilantro
- Lime Wedges
Instructions
Chicken Marinade:
- In a large Ziploc bag or bowl, mix all marinade ingredients together. If you so desire, you may add oil for extra juiciness. I suggest piercing the chicken with a fork to allow for the marinade to penetrate the chicken.
- Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. 4-8 hours is ideal. When ready to cook, preheat the grill to medium heat. Brush grill with oil to prevent sticking. Place chicken on the grill. Cook for approximately 5 - 6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the chicken. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 degrees. Remove chicken from grill and let rest for 5 minutes.
Bowl Instructions:
- Cook rice according to package instructions. Make sure to salt the water when cooking the rice. For extra flavor, toss black beans with scallions, cilantro, and lime juice.
- To assemble bowls, layer rice, beans, peppers, pineapple, mango, cilantro, lime wedges.
Mel
Wow! This is such a great summertime recipe. The chicken is definitely the star of the show, so flavorful and delicious. It also comes together quickly. I served as suggested with mango, pineapple, black beans, red bell pepper, rice, and lime and was impressed with how delicious, easy, and healthy this recipe is. I'm planning to make it again soon!
Bruce
Delicious, absolutely wonderful 😋!
Kelsey
I love making this for meal prep. So much flavor!!
Reno
You are making me feel like I am on the islands! This bowl is so fresh, has a lot of flavors, is easy to make, and makes me feel good after eating. I was looking for more after dinner, but everyone at the table finished their dish off that is how good it was.
Andrew
I like this dish very much. Jerk seems to be a level or 2 above barbeque.
Rhea Aragon
I love this delicious recipe!!! my husband and kids like it so much. They often ask me to prepare this food for them.
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe, such an easy recipe to prepare, and am happy to see that they enjoyed eating together.
Dustin
I love these ! Such an easy recipe that is full of flavor!
Richard Tunner
I made this for my fiancé last week and we have already had it 4 times lol! It’s SO delicious. Thank you for this super easy/ clean recipe. The combo of the sweet mango salsa with the jerk seasoning is incredible.
Donna A Pollock
Oh my Melissa
This looks so delicious. I went to Costco today and bought Chicken and sliced Mango for my smoothies, but now I have a better idea on what to do with them. What a great dinner or lunch. I can't wait until tomorrow......I'm going to try to make this, and hope it looks as good as yours. Hey by the way, grate you line zest into your rice alone with chopped up cilantro, and pour in about 3 tbsp. lime juice 1 large lime. It is so good, and the do the same thing for the beans like you said. I always put lime juice lime zest and cilantro in my rice. other wise it is so bland. Thank you so much sweetie for this recipe. It looks so delicious, and beautiful