Jerk Chicken Bowls

First things first: there is nothing authentic about this here recipe, OK? OK. It’s a quick and easy meal obviously inspired by the time and labor-intensive jerk chicken plates you can grab from your favorite Jamaican restaurant, neighbor, or – if you’re really lucky – family member but it’s not at all supposed to be like an actual rendition of Jerk Chicken and Rice and Peas.

We’re using boneless skinless chicken and canned kidney beans, making these Jerk Chicken Bowls perfect for a weeknight meal, or a couple of days of meal prep.

This was originally a Patreon exclusive recipe, and it had rave reviews. I reposted a clip of me making it on Instagram last week and there were a few requests to bring it over here to deepfriedhoney.com and here we are. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think if you try it.

Jerk Chicken Bowl Ingredients

Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this recipe for Jerk Chicken Bowls:

• Boneless skinless chicken: I like breasts, but thighs are fine. You’ll just need to cook them a little longer.
• Jerk marinade: Walkerswood Hot and Spicy is the only kind I use. Use your favorite.
• Bell peppers: Pick a few colors, for the visuals! Pretty Jerk Chicken Bowls for everybody!
• Shallot: We’re using this instead of onion and garlic as the aromatic for the chicken. But, onion and garlic work fine if that’s what you’ve got. You’d need about a teaspoon of minced garlic and two tablespoons of minced onion (whatever color).
• Green onion, garlic clove, fresh thyme: To flavor the rice and peas.
• Vegetable oil, unsalted butter: Our fats! We’ll saute our garlic for the rice in butter, and we’ll use oil and butter to sear and cook the chicken pieces.
• Long-grain rice: A mix of Uncle Bens and basmati is my favorite mixture, but pictured I used just Uncle Ben’s long grain.
• Dark red kidney beans: These are the peas for the rice and peas portion of these Jerk Chicken Bowls. I used canned ones, rinsed and drained. You can start with dry beans and do it the old fashioned way, if you like.
• Unsweetened coconut milk, water: Our liquids, for our rice and peas. I don’t recommend using a broth as it will throw the flavor off: that’s what the chicken bouillon powder is for.
• Poultry seasoning, chicken bouillon powder, onion powder, habanero powder, Kosher salt: The habanero powder is optional, especially if you’re using a spicy jerk marinade. You know we like it hot around here, so having the rice and peas and the chicken both be spicy is perfect.

How to Make Jerk Chicken Bowls 

Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Jerk Chicken Bowls recipe:

• Marinate the yardbird. If you have the time and inclination, prepare the chicken a few hours in advance, up to overnight. Add the chicken to a medium-sized bowl and sprinkle over the poultry seasoning. Stir in the marinade (you might not use all of it), making sure all of the chicken pieces are evenly coated. Cover and set aside until ready to cook.
• Start the rice. Place a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Melt the butter, then stir in the garlic. Sauté until fragrant. Add the rice, coconut milk, water, chicken bouillon, onion powder, habanero powder, and salt. Stir to combine, then drop in the thyme and green onion. At this point, place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once the rice is boiling, stir and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 25 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.
• Cook the chicken. Add your marinated chicken to the prepared skillet. Don’t crowd the pan, go in batches if needed. Sear undisturbed for 5-7 minutes, then flip and continue cooking until cooked thru about 2-3 minutes more. Remove and continue until all the chicken is cooked. Cover and keep warm until it’s time to build the Jerk Chicken Bowls.
• Sear the veggies. Add the remaining butter to the skillet and let it melt, then stir in the minced shallot. Cook for 1 minute, then add the bell peppers. Sprinkle over with a pinch of kosher salt and sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add the chicken back to the pan. Stir together and cook until the peppers have softened slightly, or to your desired texture. Cover with a lid and keep warm on low until the rice is finished. When the rice is done, remove it from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes.
• Build your Jerk Chicken Bowls. Fluff the rice with a fork and add it to a pasta bowl. Top with the chicken and pepper mixture. Dassit.

Obligatory Pinterest options – 

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It’s been so much fun seeing the variety of stickers my readers have chosen to date; the messages you’ve sent really tug at the heartstrings! And remember, every time you send a paid sticker that’s direct revenue to support the work that goes into all the recipes and videos you’ve come to expect from me.

You can find the Thank with Google feature at the top and floating at the bottom of every post on this site. If you try it out, let me know what you think! Thanks as always for your support. 

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