Jerk Chicken Thighs
with coconut rice and beans and a side salad
Everyone loves a vacation to the tropics, and this meal will take you to some fun in the sun! If you've never cooked with jerk or Cajun seasoning before, this spice blend is sure to liven up your pantry.
Smarts: We plan our menus to try to use up all your ingredients, which is why we the rest of last night's coconut milk goes into our rice and beans.
Ingredients
- Beans, kidney (14oz / 397g) - 1 can, rinsed and drained
- Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
- Coconut milk - 1 cup
- Bay leaves - 1
- Jerk or Cajun seasoning - 1 tsp
- Rice, long-grain - 1 cup
- Stock, chicken - 1 cup
- Salt - 1/4 tsp
- Garlic - 1 clove, minced
- Bell peppers, any color - 1, sliced thinly
- Vinegar, red or white wine - 1 1/2 Tbsp
- Mustard, Dijon - 1 1/2 tsp
- Oil, cooking - 3 Tbsp
- Mixed greens - 4 oz
- Jerk or Cajun seasoning - 1 Tbsp
- Brown sugar - 1 tsp
- Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
- Soy sauce, low-sodium - 1 Tbsp
- Vinegar, red or white wine - 1 Tbsp
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Jalapenos (opt) - 1, sliced, seeded if you want less heat
- Chicken thighs, boneless & skinless - 1 lb ((use chicken breasts for lower fat option))
- Limes - 1/2, sliced into wedges
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Chicken - Mix together jerk or Cajun seasoning, brown sugar, cinnamon, soy sauce, vinegar, and cooking oil. Slice jalapenos and add to marinade. Toss marinade with chicken and tenderize with a fork. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)
- Beans - Rinse and drain.
- Garlic (for rice and salad) / Bell peppers - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
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Make
- Heat a Dutch oven or non-stick pot over medium-high heat for rice and beans. Pour in coconut milk, garlic, bay leaves, and jerk or Cajun seasoning. Bring to a simmer and then add rice, chicken stock, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until rice has absorbed all the liquid. Fold in beans.
- While rice is cooking, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Brush some oil over skillet and then add chicken. Sear for ~3 minutes, flip and lower heat to medium. Cover with a lid and cook for another 3 minutes or until chicken is done (165F or 74C).
- Make vinaigrette by whisking together garlic, vinegar, Dijon, and cooking oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss vinaigrette with greens and peppers when rice and chicken are done.
- Remove bay leaves from rice and serve chicken with lime wedges and enjoy with coconut rice and salad!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
65 reviews
Very, very good. The chicken came out a little sweeter than expected, but every balanced well when mixed together. Yes, lay a bed of the rice, then the salad, with the chicken as a kind of garnish. Very good!
0 HelpfulSince my kids (ages 7 and 4) don't eat anything spicy, I made the jerk spice from scratch omitting cayenne and red crushed peppers. The chicken turned out great! The rice on the other hand tasted delicious but was undercooked. I followed the recipe but must have done something wrong.
0 HelpfulWe really enjoyed this meal... especially the coconut rice and beans. I used a Jamaican jerk seasoning mix recipe from Cooks Illustrated. Didn't love the cauliflower, but I don't care for it anyway. I would try this with tofu next time as the vegetarian option and maybe broil it to get that blackened jerk look.
0 HelpfulChicken was sooooo good, and that coconut rice combination paired perfectly with the spiced up chicken. Perfect for 2 adults and 2 kids, but I wish I had made a bigger batch so I could have leftovers.
0 HelpfulI know some people said the cinnamon would be overpowering but I found it to have a nice hint of something different. I used black wild rice instead of normal rice.
0 Helpful