Jerk Chicken with Red Beans & Rice

I never had Jerk chicken, salmon, or Jerk anything, until I started dating my boyfriend (he’s not a jerk…he just introduced me to the cuisine). He’s been to Jamaica a handful of times and raves about the food while lamenting that there is nothing like it in the US. A lot of places think orange juice and a ton of cinnamon and dry spices is all it takes and he’ll be the first to tell you there is so much more.  So, we took it upon ourselves to perfect the best Jerk marinade and it is too good not to share and super easy to whip up. We like a wet marinade instead of a rub and he says this is as close as it gets to the real deal! If you’ve never tried Jerk chicken, it’s time to give it a go and you don’t need to be on vacation to get the flavors in your own kitchen. Once you try this recipe I’m sure it will be something you keep going back to to spice up your next BBQ!

We serve it with homemade BBQ sauce that incorporates the marinade and with a traditional Jamaican side of red beans and rice. If you want to incorporate into your usual BBQ routine it goes great with mac and cheese, salads, and other summertime staples. The ingredients for the marinade are used in the beans and the sauce so you get to stretch your ingredients for more flavor and less grocery shopping.

This marinade will cover about 7-8 pieces of chicken. We like to use thigh meat but it’s great for breasts as well and you can use it on salmon, steak, goat of veggies too! The chicken is best when you grill it for char and then slow cook it to finish it off. We like to shred it after it has cooked for a couple hours and plate it on top of the beans and rice.

Tools for cooking:

• Food processor or blender
• Slow cooker or pressure cooker
• Grill with open flame or grill pan if you don’t have access (the char flavor from an open flame really makes this)
• Large sauce pan
• Small sauce pan

Ingredients for the Marinade:

• White Onion…½
• Habanero Peppers…2  
• Green Onions…1 bunch
• Lime…½
• Garlic Cloves…2-3
• Fresh Thyme…1 handful
• Allspice…2 tsp
• Cinnamon…1 tsp
• Nutmeg…1 tsp
• Brown Sugar…3 tbsp
• White Distilled Vinegar…1 cup
• Soy Sauce…1 cup
• Vegetable Oil…1.5 Cups
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Save about a cup of the marinade to the side once it is all through the food processor because you will use it in the BBQ sauce and the beans and rice as well!

Ingredients for the BBQ Sauce:

• ⅔ cup of Jerk Marinade
• Butter…1 tbsp
• Ketchup…1 cup
• Soy Sauce… just a splash
• ** Note: you can add spices and flavorings such as brown sugar, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, mustard powder, cayenne, etc. depending on the taste you like and how complex you want to get. It is great with just the things listed above though!

Ingredients for the Red Beans & Rice:

• ⅓ cup of Jerk Marinade
• Red Kidney Beans…1 can (low sodium)
• White Rice…3 cups
• IPA Beer of your choice…1 can or bottle
• Fresh Thyme… 2 tbsp
• White Onion… ½
• Water…2 cups
• Olive Oil

To make the marinade:

1. Start by roughly chopping the onion, green onion, garlic and thyme
2. Next use gloves or a napkin to cover your hands to cut habanero peppers in half and remove seeds
3. Carefully slice habanero peppers into strips and wash hands immediately so you don’t forget and rub your eyes or face (**note, they are incredibly spicy raw but in the marinade and the bbq sauce they add a manageable level of heat and so much flavor.)
4. Throw all the chopped produce and all other ingredients into the food processor and blend until fully combined and smooth (it will still have small chunks)
5. Save 1 cup of it to the side to use later

To make the chicken:

1. Place chicken into a large marinating bag, or a bowl.
2. Pour marinade over the chicken and move the chicken around so it is fully coated and submerged (easier if in a bag)
3. Place chicken in fridge for 30 minutes to 24 hours to marinate. The longer you let it marinate, the deeper the flavor but try to get at least 30 min.
4. Heat grill to a very high heat (450-500 degrees F)
5. Remove chicken directly from marinade and place onto the grill
6. DO NOT DISCARD MARINADE, you will use it to slow cook the chicken in after the grill
7. Cook chicken on grill until char marks appear, this is for flavor and not to cook the chicken through
8. Remove chicken from grill and place into slow cooker
9. Pour the marinade that the chicken was in over the chicken into the slow cooker and begin cooking
10. The longer you slow cook the chicken, the more tender it will be but you can eat it once the chicken is cooked through
11. Remove the cooked chicken and shred it with two forks
12. Pour over some of the cooked marinade to lock in the moisture and flavor

To make the bbq sauce:

1. Heat butter in a saucepan and coat the bottom of the pan
2. Add in ⅔ cup of the reserved marinade
3. Cook until it starts to simmer
4. Add in ketchup and mix
5. Add soy sauce and mix
6. Let cook for 15 minutes or longer with a splash screen over the top so it can still reduce without getting too messy

To make the beans and rice:

1. Heat olive oil in a large boiling pot
2. Add diced onions and cook until soft and translucent
3. Add garlic and thyme and cook another minute
4. Pour in IPA and let it all simmer for a few minutes
5. Add kidney beans and white rice
6. Pour in water and cover with lid
7. Cook until rice is finished, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan

To serve this meal, place the shredded chicken over the beans and rice and top with the BBQ sauce. It is great in a bowl because all of the flavors and textures mix up! Today we served it with our macaroni salad that will be coming to the blog soon!