Coconut Rice Jerk Chicken Bowls With Sweet Plantains Recipes

COCONUT RICE JERK CHICKEN BOWLS WITH SWEET PLANTAINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (232 degrees C).
• In a small bowl, combine the first 13 ingredients to make the spice mix. Toss the spice mix with the chicken thighs and place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the chicken on the top rack of the oven to bake for 25 minutes.
• Once the chicken is in the oven, in a 2 qt. sauce pan add 2 tsp of coconut oil and heat over medium high. Add the rice, tossing in the oil to coat. Toast for 2 minutes, stiring constantly. Add the coconut milk, sugar, salt and water. Bring to a boil, stir, cover and drop the heat to a simmer for 20 minutes.
• While the chicken and rice are cooking, prep your plantains by trimming off the ends and slicing through the peel from one end to the other. Gently peel back the peel with your fingers and slice the plantains into 1/2 inch disks.
• In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tsp of coconut oil over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, fry the plantains for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel to drain.
• Once the water has fully fully cooked, remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
• Once the chicken has fully cooked, remove from the oven and let cook for 5 minutes. Slice the chicken and sqeeze a half of a lime over the top.
• Serve a scoop of rice, cooked plantains, and chicken in a bowl with additional lime slices.

STICKY COCONUT CHICKEN AND RICE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon of oil, and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Working in two batches, brown chicken, turning halfway, until no longer pink, around 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the ginger and the garlic to the empty pot, and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add rice and stir until evenly coated in the oil. Add broth, coconut milk, bell pepper, cashews, scallions and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir to lift up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Arrange chicken on top, add any accumulated juices from the plate and bring to a boil over high.
• Cover and bake until all of the liquid is absorbed, rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, 25 minutes. Scatter cilantro over the chicken and rice, then divide among bowls. Serve with hot sauce.

JERK CHICKEN WITH RICE & PEAS

Steps:

• To make the jerk marinade, combine the spring onions, ginger, garlic, onion, scotch bonnet chillies, dried thyme, lime juice, soy sauce, vegetable oil, brown sugar and ground allspice in a food processor along with 1 tsp salt, and blend to a purée. If you're having trouble getting it to blend, just keep turning off the blender, stirring the mixture, and trying again. Eventually it will start to blend up - don't be tempted to add water, as you want a thick paste.
• Taste the jerk mixture for seasoning - it should taste pretty salty, but not unpleasantly, puckering salty. You can now throw in more chillies if it's not spicy enough for you. If it tastes too salty and sour, try adding in a bit more brown sugar until the mixture tastes well balanced.
• Make a few slashes in 12 chicken thighs and pour the marinade over the meat, rubbing it into all the crevices. Cover and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.
• If you want to barbecue your chicken, get the coals burning 1 hr or so before you're ready to cook. Authentic jerked meats are not exactly grilled as we think of grilling, but sort of smoke-grilled. To get a more authentic jerk experience, add some wood chips to your barbecue, and cook your chicken over slow, indirect heat for 30 mins.
• To cook in the oven, heat to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the chicken pieces in a roasting tin with the halved lime and cook for 45 mins until tender and cooked through.
• While the chicken is cooking, prepare the rice & peas. Rinse the basmati rice in plenty of cold water, then tip it into a large saucepan. Add the coconut milk, spring onions, thyme sprigs, garlic and ground allspice.
• Season with salt, add 300ml cold water and set over a high heat. Once the rice begins to boil, turn it down to a medium heat, cover and cook for 10 mins. Add the kidney beans to the rice, then cover with a lid. Leave off the heat for 5 mins until all the liquid is absorbed.
• Squeeze the roasted lime over the chicken and serve with the rice & peas, and some hot sauce if you like it really spicy.