Jerk Chicken with Coconut Rice & Peas

Yay! For once a recipe that was actually FASTER than listed! AND super yummy! Okay, I cheated and used Jasmine rice (seemed fine, since the dish is sort-of Thai), which cooks faster. Used self-made light coconut milk (i.e. half full-fat coconut milk / half water); still tasted deliciously coconutty! I had forgotten to take the peas out to thaw -- didn't matter: just throw them in with the rice a few minutes before that's done. If anyone wonders: yes, this also works without cilantro. We used parsley instead, cuz we don't like the taste of soap... (Frozen parsley cubes, again just thrown into the rice mix towards the end, pushed to the bottom of the pan and they'll just melt.) The spice combo reminded me of christmas cookies, but it somehow worked. Recipe as is works great for 2 people for 2 dinners.

The chicken was fantastic- I decreased the cayenne (for kids) and my whole family ate it up. I seasoned the chicken and let it sit for flavors to sink in and get more to room temp before cooking in grill pan. The coconut rice was good- I used brown basmati so the ratio of liquid seemed a bit off- I don't think I needed as much coconut milk to still get creamy; I added lime zest and extra cilantro for more flavor to the rice. This was pretty easy and will definitely become a go-to especially the chicken!

I have made this dish several times and it is now one of our favorites. My modifications: increase spices by rounding up to the next tsp or tbsp (gives you more than enough to really coat the chicken). Cook chicken by putting coated, room temp meat in a cold iron skillet coated with olive oil. Put on medium heat and cook about 6 minutes per side. This cold start method gives it a nice seal to keep the chicken juicy. I use a full cup of chopped onion. Rice will take about 60 minutes to fully cook and will be creamy. I skip the lime and cilantro. Love it!

Followed the recipe as written, though we did use the outdoor grill. The chicken was very good, and we both loved the spice blend. The rice, however, was just meh. It lacked the depth other coconut rice recipes have and was rather bland. I found this surprising given the can of coconut milk and green curry paste. The flavor simply isn’t worth the calorie count. So, 4 stars on the chicken, but only 2 on the rice.

I loved this recipe, it was absolutely amazing just as it is. I will definitely add this to the rotation. It will be easy to make a big batch of the jerk spice for dinners on the fly. :-) perfect weeknight meal.

I made this recipe just as it is written. I loved it! The level of spice is just right. The chicken and rice are each good on their own and together - yum. The serving size is generous for the calorie count. I'm saving this recipe to make again.

I only made the chicken. Delish. Even my husband liked it.