I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no fan of chicken breast or “white meat”, so this recipe came about out of the necessity to use that part of the chicken after having roasted chicken for dinner. Now we purposely buy chicken breast, as this apple mango chicken salad is simply outstanding and it’s one of the few dishes I make which EVERYONE eats! Cooking for teenagers can be a bit tricky at times.
With most things I prepare I like to bring a bit of the “island” into it, so the addition of the ripe mango and pinch of curry powder, was only natural.
You’ll Need…
1/2 cup cubed mango
3 cups shredded chicken (cooked.. I used oven roasted)
3/4 cup mayo
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced red onion
3/4 teaspoon prepared mustard
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
1/2 cup diced apple
1 teaspoon lemon juice
pinch curry powder
Notes: Try to get a mango that’s about 90% ripe, so it’s firm and will be easy to dice and handle in general, without falling apart. If you don’t have a red onion, any sweet or mild onion will work. The idea is not to have karate breath after eating this.
Wash, peel and dice the mango.. you’ll need about 1/2 of a large mango. No need to peel the apple as the skin will give it some extra texture, but do pour the lemon juice over the diced apple to prevent it from going discoloured. Dice the celery and onion a bit smaller than the apple and mango.
All you have to do now is basically assemble. With the chicken in a deep bowl (shredded), place the other ingredients and give it a good mix.
There’s enough here to make about 5-8 sandwiches (depending on how generous you are) and I would recommend chilling it in the fridge for about 30 minutes before using. It can keep for about 2 days in the fridge, but you may notice that some liquid may form in the container. Just give it a good stir and you’re good to go. If you’re daring be sure to add some pepper sauce or some finely chopped scotch bonnet pepper for that extra kick!
Don’t forget to get some nice crunchy lettuce and the key to a fabulous sandwich is getting the right bread.
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If you’re new to my website or Caribbean cuisine you’re probably wondering how does fried rice relate to the Caribbean. Our cuisine is heavily influenced by the many faces who make up our unique culture. With over 150 years of Chinese history in the Caribbean, our Chinese style food may be a bit different to what you’d find else where, but I assure you that we’ve been very busy over those years and (IMO) perfected many Chinese dishes. Ask any Tringbagonian, Guyanese or Jamaican (countries where there’s a heavy Chinese population) about this and they will only confirm what I’m saying
You’ll Need…
5 cups cooked rice (see note below)
1 lb chicken (chicken breast)
1 cup diced carrot
2 scallions (chopped finely)
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves of garlic crushed or grated
1 teaspoon grated ginger
3 tablespoon vegetable oil (divided)
3 tablespoon dark soy sauce *
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 large onion diced
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup bean sprouts
1 tablespoon shado beni (optional)
1/4 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper
Notes: I used white rice, which was cooked in salted boiling water. For best results place the cooked rice in the fridge to chill before using. This will give you a lovely grainy texture (no clumping) and remember when cooking the rice, stop the cooking process when it’s about 95% done, so it’s not soggy. Start off with 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, but depending on how dark you want the finished chicken fried rice, you may need to adjust. Please dice the scotch bonnet pepper very finely and don’t include any seeds. We simply don’t want the raw heat.
Tip. To get the chicken sliced thin, when it’s still a little frozen use a sharp knife and you’ll be better able to get thin slices since it will be firm.
The first thing we need to do is to season the sliced chicken with the 5 spice powder and black pepper. Mix well and let it marinate for a few minutes. Heat your wok or non stick frying pan (you’ll need a large one) on med/high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the veg oil then add the seasoned chicken. Since we’re working with fairly high heat, remember to stir and it will cook in about 3-4 minutes. Now remove and set aside.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of veg oil to the wok, then add the diced onion and grate in the garlic and ginger. Let that cook for a minute, then add the diced carrots, bell peppers and celery. Cook for about 3-5 minutes. Now add the diced scotch bonnet pepper and soy sauce.. followed by the pre cooked chicken and sesame oil. It will go very dark… that will change soon.
Now it’s time to add the rice (make sure you chilled it a bit so we get that grainy texture) and stir well. Since the rice is already cooked, all we’re doing is heating it through and infusing it with the main flavors of the fried rice.
Now it’s time to add the remaining 3 ingredients. Add the bean sprouts and toss, then top with the finely chopped scallions and if you were able to source the shado beni (see West Indian, Asian or Latin grocery stores.. may also be called Culantro) and cook for a minute or 2. That’s it.. you’re done.
As you can tell this can be a one pot dish with all those lovely vegetables, chicken and the rice itself. With such a large batch it can easily feed 6-8 people and I assure you, they will all be satisfied. Remember to taste for salt, but the soy sauce should add enough sodium to make this ideal (but you can adjust if you want more). If you find that the rice is a bit too pale for your liking you can add a tablespoon more soy sauce to darken it up a bit. If you have some frozen peas you can also add a cup of that for extra vegetables. Speaking about vegetables, did you know that my vegetarian fried rice recipe video is one of the most popular on Youtube?
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With just 3 recipes left in the “party food” theme we have going for November, I thought it was time to do something with bold Caribbean flavors. These jerk chicken wraps are excellent as everyday sandwiches for your family or watch your guests make a dash for the platter when you present these at your holiday gathering. You’ll be astonished at how moist and juicy the jerk chicken will be and with the fresh tropical fruit.. your taste buds will achieve a level of excitement reserved for food your mom makes which you still crave.
You’ll Need…
3 lb chicken breast (boneless)
1 1/2 cups jerk marinade
1 tablespoon veg oil
1 1/2 cups carrots (julienne and blanched)
1 1/2 cups lettuce
1 1/2 cup mango julienne
1 1/2 cup cucumber (ribbons)
1 1/2 cup pineapple chunks
10 inch flour tortillas (about 8-10)
Notes: I used my favorite packaged jerk marinade and suggest you do the same to save time. There’s been many requests since posting the video for this recipe, for the sort of garlic spread I used when putting it together. Directly below this recipe I’ll share that with you and since I don’t have a video for it, I’ll get one posted in the coming weeks.
The first step in making these jerk chicken wraps is to broil the chicken. Wash, drain and pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels, then pour in the marinade and allow to marinate for at least 1 hr. Set your oven on the broil setting and move the rack so it’s about 6-8 inches away from the main heat source. Line a baking pan with tin foil (easy clean up after) and brush on the oil or you can certainly use cooking spray. Now place the chicken on the tray, pour remaining marinade onto them and broil for 10 minutes. Then remove from the oven, flip over and broil for another 8 minutes. If you’re using thick chicken, broil an additional 4 minutes. Set aside to cool as you prepare the other ingredients.
As the chicken cools, it’s time to prepare the mango, carrots, cucumber and lettuce. With the carrots, you’ll need to bring about 3 cups of water to boil and toss in the julienne carrots into it for 25 seconds. Then place immediately into a bowl with ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Shred the lettuce (I used iceberg) and make sure the mango is firm and not over-ripe or it will be difficult to julienne .When the chicken is cool, slice into1/4 inch strips and if you have any drippings in the pan you broiled it in, pour it over the sliced chicken and give it a good mix.
It’s all about assembling the jerk chicken wraps now. Open out one of the flour tortillas, then spread about a teaspoon of the garlic spread across a 1 inch strip across the tortilla. Now place (across one end) a bit of the chicken, mango, pineapple, lettuce and cucumber ribbons and roll (try to tuck in everything as you roll) tightly. Then slice on a bios in the middle so you have two pieces of jerk chicken wrap. You’ll need toothpicks to hold these together.
If you’re wondering if we need a dipping sauce for this, the answer is no. The flavors of this will be enough to captivate everyone’s appetite on it’s own. You can make these ahead of time, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge.
For the garlicky spread you’ll need:
2 (8 ounce) containers plain Greek yogurt
2 cucumbers – peeled, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
3 cloves garlic
Directions: In a food processor or blender, combine yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill and garlic. Process until well-combined. Transfer to a separate dish, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour for best flavor.
* you can add a drop or 2 of honey as well if you want.
Winner Wanted!
Yes, it’s that time again. I’ve got a cool Keith Haring tote bag to give away to one lucky reader and I’m hoping it’s you. Over the past few months we’ve been giving away a lot of cookbooks on the site, so we thought we’d do something a little different tonight. This wicked looking tote bag is very stylish and I’m sure you’ll find use for it on your grocery shopping trips. All you have to do is leave me a comment below and your name will be automatically entered to win. Yea.. it’s that simple.
There are two bonus ways you can have your name entered in the contest, giving you 3 chances at winning. Along with leaving a comment below, go to the Facebook fan page and/or the Youtube cooking channel and leave a comment there. I don’t care what your comment is, but it would be nice if you could tell me what you like about Caribbean cuisine.
Here are the rules pertaining to winning this tote bag
- contest is open to everyone globally (even if you won something here before)
- there are 3 ways to enter your name (see above)
- 1 winner will be chosen at random (if you left 3 comments, your name will be entered 3 times)
- contest is open from November 28– to midnight December 10.
- winner will be announced within 1 week of the official close date.
- the winner will have 1 week to contact us with their mailing address
- we will cover all shipping expenses (standard mail)
I hope you take a moment to enter your name as I’d really like to mail this Keith Haring tote bag out to you. It’s simple, free and fun
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
Our mom will verify that no matter where in the world you’re doing your parenting gig, you’ll encounter kids who refuse to eat chicken livers. I still recall the look on my face when we’d come home from school and you’d open the pot to see what mom prepared for dinner and with horror you would see chicken livers staring back at you. However, that changed the first time I actually tasted them and I’ve never looked back. Our mom is a boss in the kitchen so it still baffles me that I didn’t trust her skills… why did I avoid chicken livers all those years?
Seasoned and cooked to perfection, these chicken livers will get your kids and stubborn eaters asking for more… trust meh!
You’ll Need….
1lb chicken liver
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 med onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon green seasoning
1 tomato
1 scallion
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1 teaspoon ketchup
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch curry powder
Chop the liver into 1 inch pieces, wash with some lime or lemon juice and water, then drain and set aside for us to prepare the other ingredients. Dice the scallion, onion, tomato, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper. Remember to wear gloves when handing scotch bonnet peppers and wash your hands with soap and water immediately after. If you’re concerned about the raw heat of the scotch bonnet pepper, don’t use any of the seeds or white membrane surrounding the seeds.. that where that raw heat is.
With your trimmed, washed and drained chicken livers in a bowl, it’s time to add the salt, black pepper, green seasoning, ketchup, curry powder and scotch bonnet pepper slices. Give it a good stir and set aside (fridge) to marinate for about 30 minutes.
Time to cook… heat the oil on a medium flame, then add the diced onion and reduce the heat to low, so we can slowly cook the onion. After 3 minutes the onions should be soft, translucent and the edges should start going golden. Add the finely diced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
It’s now time to add the seasoned chicken livers. Turn up the heat to medium and give it a good stir (don’t cover the pan).
Chicken livers cooks very quickly and here’s where you’ll have to decide how “cooked” you like it as it will affect the final texture of it all. I like my liver firm, but not leathery., so you can follow my direction.
Add the diced tomato and continue to stir to make sure each piece of liver gets in contact with the bottom of the pan/pot.
You’ll notice that two major things will happen. The liver will start to go a dull color and it will spring it’s own juices (why we need to leave the lid open, so we can burn that off). Cook for about 3-5 minutes, then add the chopped scallion and then turn up the heat to burn off any liquid.
It should take 4 minutes to now burn off the liquid. I like leaving a little gravy, but our mom was strict.. she wanted to see oil (fuss it was dry).
Taste for salt and adjust accordingly.. turn off the heat and serve. I love these chicken livers in a sandwich, so that’s exactly what I did after these were hot off the stove. But these are an excellent side dish as part of your family dinner.
I guarantee you (strong words), that this will be the absolute best way you’ve ever had chicken livers and I’m even bold enough to say that your picky eaters will also find this very appetizing (providing you can convince them to give it a test drive). Here’s the video of me preparing this wonderful chicken liver dish:
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I still recall the first time I had this fried chicken at my aunt’s kitchen in Trinidad, topped with the juice of lime pepper sauce which had been marinating for a couple months. The succulent pieces of chicken was just outstanding with the drops of spicy sauce, but the crispy skin stole the show. It’s just one of those things (moments) which will forever be engraved in my memory. The recipe itself is very simple and even with minimal ingredients, the flavor really stands out.
Notes: You can add a 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder to the marinade for extra flavor and a little finely chopped scotch bonnet pepper will add the “wickedness” to everything. You’ll also need the juice of a lime or lemon to wash the chicken.
Here’s a tip to know how much vegetable oil you’ll need for frying so you won’t have a dangerous mess with overflowing hot oil when you add the seasoned chicken to the pot. It will also help you determine how large a pot you’ll need. Place your chicken (before seasoning) into the pot you plan on using to fry, then using a measuring cup, pour in water until the chicken is covered. Be sure to write down how many cups of water it took to completely cover the chicken (this will be how much oil you will need). After covering the chicken with water, make sure there is about 3 inches of space before the rim of the pot. Since as you add the chicken to the hot oil it may rise and try to flow over.
Now remove the chicken and get ready to marinade.
Wash the chicken with cool water and lime or lemon juice, drain and pat dry with paper towels. Then place in a large zip lock bag and place the bagged chicken in a bowl which can fit in your fridge. So in the event of a leaky bag, you won’t have a mess in your fridge. All you have to do now is pour in the soy sauce and grate the ginger directly into the bag. Squeeze out as much air as you can as you seal the bag.. then massage the entire chicken so the marinade gets up-close and personal with the entire bird.
Allow the now seasoned chicken to marinate in the fridge overnight. The next day, remove from the fridge and allow to come back to room temperature as you heat the oil for frying (get it to about 325F). Using paper towels, dry off the chicken so we won’t have any liquid causing problems when we introduce it to the hot oil.
With my oil nice and hot (med/high flame) I gently added the chicken to it.
Depending on the size of your chicken, it can take between 40 and 50 minutes to cook all the way though and get you that lovely crispy skin. If you’re using chicken pieces, it should be fully cooked after about 25 minutes. I then placed the fried chicken to cool on a cooling rack in a baking tray. So the excess oil will drain into the tray.
Since we’re using soy sauce to marinate the chicken, you may find that the chicken may turn out to be a bit salty (why we went for light soy sauce). You can certainly rinse the chicken with cool water after marinating overnight to help with that, but the sort of salty base is what’s unique about this fried chicken.. get some Hoisin sauce and the sweetness will work as a good balance for the chicken. Don’t forget to have some good Caribbean pepper sauce ready as well.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
Smoked and/or salted meats are a must for a good Caribbean soup, so when my eyes crossed paths with the smoked turkey legs when we were out shopping a few days back.. let’s just say we shared a connection. Soups in the Caribbean are thick and hearty as most stews are in North America, so if this is your first time learning about how we make soups, don’t get alarmed. If you can’t source smoked turkey legs, you can certainly use necks or wings and if all fails, use any smoked meat you can source (ham bone, ham hocks..etc).
Optional – (flour dumplings)
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
pinch of sugar
water
Notes. Optional ingredients – yam, green banana, cassava.. etc. If you don’t have the Grace cock soup.. use a spicy noodle soup (Maggi) or chicken stock. You can add any greens you like (spinach, callaloo etc) or cabbage as well . And a nice addition would be some cubed pumpkin.
Chop the onion, garlic, scallions and herbs. Then heat the oil in a deep soup pot and add the chopped ingredients. Allow that to cook for 3-5 minutes on low heat. To soften the onion and create a wonderful flavor base.
Wash and drain the black eye peas (a good substitute would be yellow split peas) and add it to the pot along with the chopped carrot. Then add the smoked turkey leg and pour in the water, add the scotch bonnet pepper, salt and black pepper. Bring to a oil and reduce to a simmer.
Allow to to simmer away for 45- 60 minutes or until the peas are tender. In the meantime peel and prep the root vegetables. Using a potato peel or sharp pairing knife, remove the skin off the dasheen, eddoes, potato, sweet potato and remove the stems off the okra. Try to cut each in even sized pieces so they cook evenly. If you prepped this before it time to place it in the pot, remember to cover will cool water to prevent them from going discoloured. The corn is optional, but I like adding it. Cut each corn into 4-5 pieces and give a good rinse before adding to the pot.
After 50 minutes or so the peas should be tender and you should have a pot packed with flavour. Remove the smoked turkey leg and set aside to cool. Now gently add everything into the pot and bring to a boil, including the packet of ‘cock’ soup. If you find that the liquid does not cover the vegetables, add a bit more water.
Strip the pieces of meat off the bone and add back to the pot.. add back the bone as well for additional flavor.
Usually it takes between 25 – 35 minutes to cook after you’ve added the vegetables. You’re looking for a thick consistency and the dasheen and other vegetables should be tender to the point where it starts to fall apart. Try not to over stir or you’ll end up with porridge.
Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. If you’re adding flour dumplings, do so the last 7 minutes so they have time to fully cook. Remember that as this soup cools it will thicken further, so don’t worry if it seems a bit thin when it’s hot.
An absolute treat! This soup is loaded with goodness and don’t be surprised if you get a case of the sleepies after you’ve done damage on a bowl. Remember to fish the scotch bonnet pepper out of the pot and try your best not to burst it during cooking.. or you’ll release the dragon!
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
After posting the video recipe for these island style chicken strips on the Youtube channel, it quickly became one of the most requested recipes. Following on the technique we’d use for making fried chicken when I was a kid on the islands (still remember pounding the Crix crackers to make the crumbs), these could easily be the best chicken strips you’ll ever have. While making the Mango Honey Mustard BBQ Sauce I felt I needed to have something to go along with it and I really didn’t feel like grilling, so I went freezer diving and came up with a couple chicken breast. The rest is delicious history.
You’ll Need…
2 chicken breast (split) about 1 lb
2 eggs
2 scallions
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
salted crackers (about 1.5 cups crumbs)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2-3 cups oil for frying (veg oil)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
Notes. I used a bone in chicken breast which I got the strips from, but you’re free to use boneless chicken breast if you’d like to save on time. Remember to wash the strips with the juice of a lime or lemon and cool water, then drain dry.
Place the crackers in a zip lock bag or in a tea towel and using a rolling pi or wine bottle, crush until you have the consistency of bread crumbs. I like a bit of texture, so I try to leave some of it a bit chunky. Set aside in a bowl.
Chop (finely) the scallions, thyme and parsley. Then add it to the bowl with the cracker crumbs and give it a good stir. I know this step is a bit strange to my Caribbean readers as we’re seasoning the bread crumbs and not the chicken as we would traditionally do.
Cut the chicken into 1/4 inch strips (don’t fuss with being even), wash, drain and set aside. Crack both eggs into another bowl and toss in the black pepper and salt and give it a whisk. We now have the chicken cut into pieces, the seasoned crumbs and eggs. It’s time to set up a batter and frying station. We’ll need the veg oil in a deep pan (I used a small wok so the oil doesn’t splatter onto the stove while frying) on med/high heat, a plate with the flour, the seasoned crumbs, the chicken strips, egg wash and have a paper towel lined plate or basket to drian off the excess oil when the chicken strips are done cooking.
Take a piece of chicken and dust it in the flour, then into the eggs (make sure it’s covered in the eggs mix) and drain off the excess egg and roll in the seasoned bread crumbs. Do about 4-5 of these so once you start adding to the hot oil, you’ll have a few to go in at the same time.
Your oil should be hot by now, so gently place each strip in. Flip after a couple minutes and keep an eye on them. If you find that they’re browning too fast, turn your heat down a bit. It takes about 5-7 minutes to fully cook and have that lovely golden brown colour. Drain on the paper towels and continue until all the chicken strips are cooked. Sprinkle (while hot) with a little sea salt (not mentioned in the ingredient list).
These chicken strips will look stunning when they come out of the fryer, with the golden colour and specs of green herbs. And not to be out done… they will be absolutely delicious. With a wonderful crunch from the seasoned cracker crumbs (airy as if yo used panko crumbs), tender and very moist (fully cooked) on the inside. You’ll be a super hero to your kids after you serve up a batch of these.But be warned that they won’t want you to go back to the stuff you used to get them at Mc Donalds.
TIP: Thread each chicken strip onto a bamboo skewer before battering (cook as mentioned above) and you’ll have an attractive dish to take to your next company lunch… finger food heaven! Place on a platter lined with some leaf lettuce (gotta have a green back ground) and serve with a little of that mango honey mustard bbq sauce I showed you how to make a couple recipes ago. You’ll look like a culinary star!
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
Have guys enjoyed the month of grilling? This 5 spice chicken may end up being the last in the series (for now), so I can get back to more traditional Caribbean dishes. It’s been such fun taking the cooking outdoor, I’m now thinking up other ways to add some excitement to the recipes and cooking videos. Who knows, I may take the show on the road and you may see me on your island very soon. This five spice chicken on the grill is inspired by the huge Chinese influence in the Caribbean, especially in our everyday cuisine.
Did you know?…
Between 1853 and 1879, 14,000 Chinese laborers were imported to the British Caribbean as part of a larger system of contract labor bound for the sugar plantations. Imported as a contract labor force from China, Chinese settled in three main locations: Jamaica, Trinidad, and British Guiana (now Guyana), initially working on the sugar plantations. Most of the Chinese laborers initially went to British Guiana; however when importation ended in 1879, and the population declined steadily, mostly due to emigration to Trinidad and Suriname. But even before that, Chinese immigration to Cuba started in 1847 when Cantonese contract workers were brought to work in the sugar fields.
Notes: I used cider vinegar as that’s what I had on hand, you can use your fav type of vinegar. I used fresh scotch bonnet pepper as I love the vibe from the freshness, but you can certainly use 1 teaspoon pepper sauce (hot sauce). If you’re wondering… 5 spice powder is completely different from ‘allspice” powder.
Wash and trim of excess skin and fat off the chicken pieces, then wash and drain dry. I used chicken thighs as I love this meaty piece of dark meat, it absorbs marinades well and the I kept some of the skin to to help keep it moist as it grills. Then chop the scotch bonnet pepper and scallion very fine and crush your garlic as smooth as you can. I used my mortar and pestle for the garlic and with the help of a pinch of salt.. I had a smooth garlic paste. Remember when working with scotch bonnet peppers to wear gloves, wash your hands with soap and don’t use the seeds if you’re concerned about raw heat. The seeds and white area surrounding the seeds is most deadly when it comes to hot peppers.
Basically all you have to do now is pour everything, including the chicken pieces into a zip lock bag (get a strong freezer bag, so you don’t have breakage or leakage). Seal and massage by moving around with your hands. Be sure to get everything mixed properly. Now try to get as much air as you can out of the bag and quickly seal it. By removing all the air, you’ll help to infuse the chicken pieces with that lovely marinade. Place the bag in the fridge for at least 3 hours.. but 5 hours would be best if you had the time.
Before you go out to fire up your grill take the bag with the marinating chicken out of the fridge so it comes back to room temperature. If you don’t have a grill/bbq, you can do this recipe in the oven. Preheat at 375F, place the chicken on a wire rack on a baking tray (so it’s not sitting in it’s own fat as it cooks) and cook for about 40-45 minutes. You may need to turn on your broiler for the last 5 minutes for it to develop that lovely golden colour.
My grill was between 375 and 400F and I placed them with the skin side up to start. Basically all you’re doing now is grilling as you would normally grill your chicken. So flip every 4-5 minutes (be sure to look of for flare-ups when it’s skin side down) and cook for about 25-30 minutes or until you achieve the way you like. There are 3 burners on my grill, so what I did was… I turned 2 of the burners down to low and the one to the far right I had on high (similar to indirect grilling). This allowed me to keep my grill at the same temperature, while slowly cooking the 5 spice chicken slowly over the low burners.
Do allow the chicken pieces to rest for 3-5 minutes before serving so the meat relaxes back and you get that true juiciness from the 5 spice marinade. This 5 spice chicken is surely a lovely representation of the Chinese influence on our culinary culture and it’s always a hit in our home when it’s served.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
As our adventure on the grill continues, I thought I’d share a very creative way to do chicken lollipops. If you’re not familiar with chicken lollipops, it’s basically the way the drumette of the wing is shaped to give the appearance of our favorite kid candy, lollipops. With that in mind I decided to make a rub to marinate the chicken lollipops in, using ingredients we would normally use on a daily basis on the islands. The slight heat and smokiness from the paprika, combined with fresh herbs and the earthy goodness of good Caribbean curry powder will certainly make this a go-to dish as you spark up your grill and invite friends over.
Note: Traditionally the drum part of the chicken wings are used to make the lollipop shape, but I used actual chicken drumsticks. More meat and much cheaper than purchasing chicken wings. I used a madras blend curry powder originating from the Caribbean.. just my preference.
The very first thing we need to do is to shape the lollipops (see the video below). Grab the thin end of the drumstick firmly, then carefully cut through the meat surrounding the bone, using a sawing motion and turning the thing around. Don’t try to force it, let the knife do the work. Once the skin is cut all around, use your knife to scrape down the meat from the bone. You may need to cut through a couple of sinews. Push the meat down to the other end. You should now have what looks like a handle with a ball of chicken meat at one end. * Be sure to look out for the tiny long bone which will be close to the main bone of the drumstick. It can prick you.. try to cut that out. In the pic below you’ll see 4 stages of me doing the lollipop thing. BTW, I removed the skin first.
With all my drumsticks now shaped into chicken lollipops, I washed it with lime juice (you can use lemon juice or vinegar as well) and rinse with cool water. Drain and set aside for marinating.
It’s now time to make the marinade… combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and give it a good whisk.
Pour the marinade over the trimmed and shaped chicken pieces and give it a good mix (get your hands in there). Now cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour (try not to go beyond 3 hrs). Then bring back to room temperature while your grill heats up.
The next step is pretty straight forward, as you’ll just grill as you normally grill chicken. My grill was about 375 degrees and I pretty much cooked them for about 25-30 minutes. Rotating them every 4-5 minutes and basting with the leftover marinade in the bowl I marinated them in.
As they cook and the heat of the grill intensifies, you’ll start getting that lovely aroma of the marinade… especially the curry powder! Do keep an eye on them so they don’t overcook and dry out. But be sure to get some grill marks on them to really intensify the rich flavors we infused them with.
There’s no need for any BBQ sauce on these or you’ll destroy all the work you did to create that lovely exotic flavor from the curry powder, spices and herbs. However, the tamarind bbq sauce I shared with you a couple weeks back would make for an excellent dipping sauce for these chicken lollipops. Here’s a video on how simple it is to make that lovely tamarind bbq sauce…
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Here’s the complete video from preparation to the completed curry chicken lollipops for you to follow along…
After sharing that wonderful recipe for making your own homemade tamarind bbq sauce, I though I’d quickly show you how to put it to use on some grilled chicken. BBQ or grilling in the Caribbean usually means making your own sauce or taking the commercial stuff and personalizing it with your own herbs and spices. Unlike grilling in other parts of the world where salt and pepper is king, in the Caribbean we love to ‘season’ our meats and have it marinate (soak) to infuse it with the herbs which are grown locally (usually in our back yard).
This grilled chicken will be unlike anything you’ve ever had and I assure you, you’ll have your guests asking for more (and the recipe). If you don’t own a BBQ or grill, you can certainly do this in your oven under the broiler. Contact me for more info on that.
You’ll Need…
2 chickens (cut in halves)
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean style green seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Tamarind BBQ Sauce
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
* The chickens were between 3-4lbs each.
Here’s a quick video showing how we make the green seasoning …
Cut your chickens in half (see video below), remove the wing tips and discard, then pour the lime juice over the chicken and wash with cool water. Rinse and drain. Now pour in the salt and green seasoning mix and give it a good massage to ensure every piece of the chicken comes in contact with the seasoning.
Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 2hrs to really infuse the chicken with the exciting flavors of the green seasoning. Before you head out to the grill, allow the seasoned chicken to come back to room temperature (about 15 minutes). Have you grill nice and hot at about 375 F and place on the highest rack, off the heat. If you only have one level on your grill, do the indirect heat technique for the first 20 minutes. Which means the main source of heat will be away from the chicken… so it cooks slowly.
In the picture above you’ll notice that I left the marinade on the chicken as I love the little kick you get as you get slight hints of it when eating. After 20 minutes on my upper rack (or indirect heat), it’s time to place it on the main grill where the real heat is. In total I left it there for 30 minutes, flipping every 10 minutes or so, while keeping an eye for flare-ups. I love working with the skin on the chicken, so flare-ups is a real threat! I find that the skin helps keep the chicken very moist and it’s great for holding the bbq sauce when applied.
TIP: I usually keep my BBQ sauce in a small metal cup on top of the grill’s cover to heat up while grilling. This way the bbq sauce is warm and spreads evenly when brushed onto whatever you’re grilling.
Now it’s time to start applying the tamarind bbq sauce on the chicken pieces. Apply liberally and remember to keep flipping as you do so, to create a nice even caramelized color on the grilled chicken. After a couple coats of the bbq sauce you’ll start having a nice glaze… very appetizing! Here’s the video on making the tamarind bbq sauce if you missed it…
It took about 7-10 minutes after I started applying the bbq sauce onto the grilled chicken pieces before I achieved the look I was going for.
As I mentioned above, this tamarind grilled chicken will be the best chicken you’ll have all summer… try it and leave me a comment below!
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
We’re full steam ahead with our month of grilling with a Caribbean approach, so today it’s time for a Caribbean style rotisserie chicken on the grill. Imagine unveiling a few of these as your friends arrive for your BBQ this summer.. they’ll be blown away! Be prepared for your neighbors inviting themselves to your home after constantly peeking over the fence to investigate what that amazing aroma is!
With a sort of Jamaican Jerk dry rub influence, this recipe is not spicy as I’ve purposely left out the Caribbean sunshine – scotch bonnet peppers so those of you who are not into the ‘heat’ can also enjoy this. Unless you’re a real ‘wuss’ and think cinnamon is spicy!
You’ll Need…
1 whole chicken
lime zest (1 lime)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
4 sprigs thyme
1 lemon cut in half
1 scallion
Notes: The chicken I used was about 4 lbs (cleaned) and before seasoning I washed it with lime juice and water, then pat dry with paper towels. If you want to kick this up a bit you can dice (fine) a scotch bonnet pepper and add it to the rub. You can do this chicken in a roasting pan in the oven if you wish.. try to place the chicken on wire rack in the pan, so it’s not sitting in the fat/oil which will be released. Roast at 375F for 2hrs. Doing this on the grill as I did with the rotisserie is ideal, as the fat will self baste the chicken before falling into the pan I placed below it.
The first thing we need to do is prepare the sort of dry rub we’ll be using to season the chicken. Grate the lime zest into a bowl, then add the other dry ingredients (except the lemon, scallion and thyme) and give it a good stir.
It’s now time to prepare the chicken so it can marinate for about 1/2 an hour or so before being introduced to the grill. Before using the dry rub, open up the cavity of the bird and add the thyme, scallion (fold it) and lemon halves. Now it’s time to coat the chicken in the dry rub me made. Try to do so evenly.. then cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the fridge. It’s important that you truss the chicken (tie with string) so it’s compact and will not toss around as it does it’s thing on the rotisserie.
Preheat your grill at 300 degrees. TIP: Place a disposable pan (see your local dollar store) directly below where the chicken will be placed on the grill (see video below) and put about 1/2 inch of water in it. As the rotisserie chicken cooks, it will drop fat and you don’t want flare-ups. This will prevent such flare-ups, but remember to keep adding water as it cooks. Now it’s just a matter of placing your chicken securely on the rotisserie bar and heading out to the grill.
Cover the lid and let this cook for 2 hrs. After the first hour it will start to develop color and the scent will start to really make it’s presence known. Do remember to keep the heat constant and keep filling the drip pan with water. After 1.5 hrs I turned up the heat to 400F to ensure it’s fully cooked inside and to give it that appealing color rotisserie chicken should have.
After 2 hrs your rotisserie chicken should be ready to join the party. Remove from the heat and allow to rest (cover with tin foil) for about 1 5mins before cutting. In total my chicken cooked for 2 hrs and 10 minutes and it was simply stunning! It may seem like a long time, but this is one of those things you don’t have to babysit, as long as your drip pan has water and you heat is controlled, you can do work on your potato salad and beverages.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
After posting the pics of bbq chicken I made in the oven on the Facebook Fan Page a couple weeks back.. you won’t believe the number of emails and phone calls I got asking for the recipe (there were eve some smoke signals originating from Detroit way asking for the recipe). Though not a recipe you’d associate with the Caribbean, I thought I’d still share this simple bbq chicken in the oven recipe, with you all. This recipe is so simple, we’re not even making the bbq sauce. However don’t let it’s simplicity have you fooled into thinking it will lack in flavor or originality.
You’ll Need….
1 chicken (4-5 lbs)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 cups bbq sauce (your fav)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Juice of 1 lime or lemon for washing the chicken.
* Optional, but you can add some pepper sauce or freshly cut scotch bonnet pepper in the mix to give it a wicked kick!
I’m good at taking apart a chicken, so cutting it into four pieces was not a problem. You can always ask your butcher or use chicken parts for this recipe. If you’re worried about the white meat going dry, rest assured that it won. It will be the most moist, tender and juicy chicken breast you’ll ever have (that’s not brined). In a future episode on the Food FAQ cooking channel I’ll show you how to take apart a whole chicken.
You’ll be tempted to remove the skin from the chicken, but do leave it on. However, do trim off the fat and excess skin. Having the skin on, is one of the key things to having tender and moist bbq chicken in the oven. Wash the chicken pieces with lemon juice and rinse with cool water. Pat dry and get ready to season
In a small bowl or plate, mix the salt, black pepper, cinnamon, dry mustard, allspice and fresh thyme, then work it on all the pieces of chicken. I know my Caribbean friends are probably saying that this is not fully seasoned, but trust me. Be sure to coat both sides of the chicken.
With your oven set at 375 F, place the baking dish with the seasoned chicken on the middle rack and let cook for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, tip the baking dish and spoon out any liquid/fat from the bottom of the dish (discard). In the picture you’ll notice that I lined the dish with foil to make the clean-up easier when I’m done. We need to get rid of all liquid as we want the bbq sauce to really stick to the pieces of chicken for that gooey goodness. Using your favorite store BBQ sauce, baste the chicken pieces and place back in the oven for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, turn the pieces of chicken over and give this side a nice coat of that BBQ sauce and back into the oven for another 10 minutes.
It’s time to flip it over again and give it a final coat of that luscious BBQ sauce. Be generous as we want this to sort of caramelize and form a sticky coating over the pieces of chicken. Back in the oven for 10 minutes. The last 3 minutes I turned on the broiler and got the perfect color on my BBQ chicken.
With the lovely scent of the cinnamon, allspice and fresh thyme, your kitchen will smell like heaven. I used (my Canadian friends will know it) Diana’s Honey Garlic sauce, so with the addition of the honey and garlic flavor, this BBQ Chicken was unreal. By cooking with a low heat, the fact that we kept the skin on and the basting with the BBQ sauce, the chicken was simply amazing. Nothing dry and tasteless here.. but then, when would I ever give you a crappy recipe?
I do hope you guys give this version of BBQ chicken a test drive, as I’m sure the results will be very pleasing to your taste buds.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the cuisine of the Caribbean is heavily influenced by the many cultures and people which make up the melting pot the Caribbean is. This chicken lo mein is something I remember purchasing from food trucks in San Fernando (next to the train engine) after school. Back then the menu of the day was fried rice, lo mein (or chow mein) and five spice chicken (fried with that crispy skin). I could still taste the uniqueness the Caribbean added to these wonderful Chinese dishes. Funny thing is, there were no Chinese cooks in any of these food trucks!
You’ll Need…
8 oz egg noodle
1 carrot
2 cups bean sprouts (or cabbage)
1-2 cups of pak choi
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 scallions
2 chili pepper (I used bird peppers)
1 1/2 cup sweet pepper (bell – different colors)
1 cup broccoli
1 cup celery
2 small chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 table spoon vegetable oil (see note below)
Notes: Try to cut all the vegetables the same size for uniform cooking. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoon veg oil, but after cooking the chicken you may need to add an extra tablespoon of oil to the pot. Depending on how seasoned your wok is or if you’re using a non stick pan or not. I used a Guyanese style chow mein noodle (egg), which I found in the local West Indian store. I cooked the noodle according to the directions on the package, but I did cut the recommended cooking time by half as I knew I was going to cook it a bit further in the main lo mein pot and I didn’t want it to go soggy.
Start by preparing all the vegetables (wash – chop) and also slice the chicken into very thin slices, wash, dry and get ready to cook.
Heat your wok or large non-stick pot on med/high heat and add the vegetable oil. Now add the slices of chicken and cook for about 4 minutes. Remember to keep stirring so it cooks evenly. Now turn down the heat and remove the pieces of chicken and set aside. At this time you should also cook your egg noodles, drain and allow to cool.
If your wok is dry, do add a bit more oil and get ready to continue cooking. Turn the heat back up to med/high and add the onion, garlic (grated) and grated ginger to the pot. Allow that to cook for a minute or two to release all it’s wonderful flavors.
Now add the carrots (remember to slice/chop everything thin so it cooks fast), bell peppers, hot pepper, celery, broccoli and salt. Stir and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Then in a small bowl combine the oyster, soya and hoisin sauces.. then add to the wok and stir. Now add back the pieces of cooked chicken.
Stir in the chopped pak choi and allow to cook for another minute before adding the cooked egg noodles. Give this a good stir to coat everything with the different sauces we added moments ago.
As you can tell, this dish cooks very fast so it’s important to have everything prepped and handy. Now top with the chopped scallions and bean sprouts and cook for a minute. Remember to keep stirring.
I know I didn’t mention this in the ingredient list (but it’s in the main pic above), but feel free to top the dish with about 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil for a bright finish and to add another layer of flavor. I’m not a huge fan of sesame oil, so I only added a small amount.. but you can obviously add more if you wish. Remember to also check for salt and adjust accordingly.
This is a quick and absolutely wonderful dish you must try. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the Chinese influence on Caribbean cuisine, as I must admit that I have a weakness for Chinese food… especially the way we make it in the Caribbean. Once you’ve had Caribbean style Chinese food, you’ll know what I mean.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
This recipe is a take on the one our mom would do with left over stewed pork, which is still something I crave from time to time (queen cud real cook). After our last trip to the Asian grocery store out in Mississauga, these baby pak choi were in the fridge waiting for some love. With some left over stew chicken in hand, I thought I’d revise my mom’s recipe and use chicken instead of the pork. Stewed beef (Caribbean style) also works great as well. BTW, I was asked “how does one have leftover stewed chicken?” by one of our friends out in the Netherlands… I fully understand what you mean, a pot of stew chicken goes very fast.
You’ll need…
Pak Choi (2-3lbs)
1 med onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon veg or olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
fresh black pepper (pinch)
Note: Do remember when using hot peppers that the majority of ‘heat’ is in the seeds and area surrounding them (sort of white membrane). So avoid using those if you don’t want to deal with extreme heat.
Wash and chop the pak choi into 1/2 inch pieces. I basically removed all the leaves from the main stem, gave them a good wash and then cut thin strips lengthwise. I then chopped those length pieces into the size I wanted. Remember to wash these good as you may find sand between the stems and trapped in the creases of the leaves. In the video below you’ll see exactly how I did everything.
As the rinsed pak choi pieces drain, chop the onion, garlic and pepper.
Heat the oil in a fairly deep pan on medium heat and add the slices of garlic and allow that to cook for 3-4 minutes on a low heat. We’re trying to release the flavors without burning the garlic. As soon as you see the edges go golden and the garlic soften, turn up the heat to med-high and start adding the cut pak choi to the pot.
Now add all the other ingredients (salt, pepper, black pepper, onion), except the leftover chicken to the pot and give it a good stir.
When this comes to a boil you will notice it will wilt down and spring a lot of it’s own natural liquid. Cover the pot and allow to simmer for 15 minutes on low heat.
After 15 minutes, remove the lid (do remember to stir ever 4-5 minutes) add the pieces of leftover stewed chicken and give it a good stir. There should still be a bit of liquid in the pot, so it’s time to burn that off. I like my pak choi with a little crunch, so I now turn up the heat and burn off any excess liquid before the pak choi overcooks. In 2-3 minutes the dish should be completely ready for partaking.
Check for salt and adjust accordingly. If you want to brighten this up a bit, you can ad some chopped tomato at the end for color. The infusion of the leftover stewed chicken (which had ginger and other goodness) will take this dish up to another level. I guarantee you!
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
Stewed chicken with string beans was usually a “Monday” dish in our home back in the day. Leftover stewed meats (usually chicken) from Sunday’s huge lunch was used to enhance the flavor of boring string beans… probably the only way our mom would get us to eat beans. She would usually cook down the beans first and add the pieces of left over stewed chicken near the end, to finish the dish off. However, we’ll do things a bit different… we’ll stew the chicken first for that rich flavor and color, then add the trimmed string beans to the pot and allow it to enjoy married life (smile).
I’m not a fan of chicken breast (white meat) as it’s so easy to go dry. But I assure you the pieces of chicken will be juicy, tender and infused with the lovely goodness of ginger, the herbs we used and the overall stewing process.
You’ll Need…
2 Chicken Breast (about 1 1/2 – 2 lbs)
2 lb string beans (see note below)
3/4 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon veg oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon grated ginger (see note)
1/4 hot pepper (habanero or scotch bonnet)
1 medium onion
1 tomato
3 sprigs thyme
2 scallions
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
juice of 1 lime or lemon (can vinegar as well)
2 leaves shado beni (or 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups water
Notes: Feel free to add additional herbs in seasoning the chicken (Spanish thyme, parsley and/or oregano). I used string beans, but you can also use french beans, bodi (yard beans) or any of your favorite green beans. I grated the ginger into the marinating of the chicken, but if you wish you can use a slice and remove it at the end of cooking if you’re worried about biting into the ginger. Remember when using hot peppers to keep away from the seeds and surrounding white membrane if you’re concerned about the heat.
I got boned chicken breast (on sale), so I had to debone and cut into 1 inch chunks. I then washed the pieces of chicken with the lime juice and rinsed with cool water.Then chop the onion, garlic, tomato, hot pepper, scallions, thyme and shado beni.
Add all the ingredients into the bowl with cubed chicken pieces except the brown sugar, water, string beans and vegetable oil. Give it a good stir and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
I had already prepped my beans, but this would be a good time to do so while the seasoned chicken marinates. Trim off the ends of each bean, then cut into 1-2 inch pieces length-wise. I then like to cut each piece down the middle as I find it cooks faster and really absorbs the flavors of the stewed chicken. It will take some time and best done using a small pairing knife (better control). Please refer to the video below to see how I trimmed each bean.
Let’s get ready to put this tasty dish together. If this is your first time ‘stewing’ meats as it’s done in Caribbean (almost like caramelizing) you can refer to the video below or follow along.. I’ll try my best to describe this step. Since we’ll be working with melted sugar at a high temperature be sure to use a dry cooking spoon with a long handle. It’s also recommended that you have the seasoned chicken close.
Heat a fairly large/deep pot on a med/high heat and add the oil. Now add the brown sugar and keep stirring. The sugar will start to melt and go a sort of caramel color.. that’s what we want. Allow it to start going frothy and it will get a rich dark color. Keep stirring as you want the entire batch of sugar to work evenly. As it get’s a rich dark color and frothy.. the pot will start to smoke so have a window open or the exhaust fan above your stove on. I’ve had the smoke detector go off a few times. With care, start adding the chicken. It’s ok if the pieces of onion, tomato etc goes into the pot. Sooner or later they will reside there. Give it a good stir to coat the chicken in the lovely brown color.
* Be careful not to let the sugar go black or your dish will have a sort of bitter taste.
Turn down the heat to low, cover the pot and allow to cook for about 6 minutes with the lid on. After six minutes you should have some natural juices at the bottom of the pan. With the lid off, turn up the heat (remember to stir) and burn off that liquid. We’re building a rich flavor base and we enhancing the overall color of the dish.
With all the liquid gone, start adding the trimmed (don’t forget to wash your beans before trimming) beans to the pot and give it a good stir (heat still on high). Pour the water into the same bowl you marinated the chicken in to pick up any remaining marinade, then pour that water (the cup and a half) into the pot. Give that a good stir and bring to a boil.
When it comes to a boil reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and allow to cook for about 15 minutes. I like my beans to still have a slight crunch, so 15 minutes works great for me (stir occasionally). After 15 minutes (your kitchen will have a wonderful scent at this point), remove the lid and if you have liquid at the bottom of the pan (you will), turn up the heat and burn it off. You’re Done!
I love this with plain boiled rice (brown), but it’s just as tasty with roti and it makes a killer sandwich (trust meh). Yes the vibrant green color will be lost, but if you want to brighten it up a bit for presentation, you can add some chopped tomato near the end to just heat through.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
After posting the geera pork recipe a while back, there were several emails from people who don’t eat pork wanting a different option. Though I’m a bit late with this geera chicken recipe, this one is for all the pork haters. Geera (aka cumin) is used to give this sort of bar food (similar to how you’d find tapas in Spain) a strong ‘spice’ base and the garlic, herbs and habanero (scotch bonnet peppers are normally used) pepper gives it that unique Caribbean kick. As I’ve mentioned in the past, geera is one of those few spices I just don’t appreciate, so this dish is not made often in our kitchen. Probably also explains why my love for Mexican food is very limited.
You’ll Need…
2 lb boneless chicken breast cubed
1 tablespoon ground roasted geera (cumin)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 habanero pepper (scotch bonnet or any hot pepper you like)
2 heaping tablespoon of chopped cilantro (stems and everything)
4 sprigs thyme
2 scallions
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon vegtable oil
1/2 lime or lemon for washing the chicken
Notes. Traditionally Shado Beni is used instead of the cilantro, but it’s a good substitute when you can source shado beni. Chicken breast or white meat is notorious for being dry, but I assure you that it’s will be moist and very flavorful when done. However, if you wanted to use boneless dark meat (legs/thighs), that work great as well. Finally, if you wanted to use the whole geera seeds (cumin) and roast it in a dry pan on high heat, then grind… you’ll really heighten the overall flavor of this dish. But be prepared for your entire house to be encased in that strong roasted geera smell (too much for me personally).
Start by cutting the chicken into 1 inch cubes, then pour the lime or lemon juice over it. Give it a good stir, then rinse off with cool water and drain. It’s now time to season the chicken so we can allow it to marinate for abut 1/2 hour. In a large bowl, place the cubed chicken, salt, black pepper, diced scallions, chopped cilantro, chopped habanero or whatever hot pepper you have and the thyme. Give it a good stir and allow to marinate.
In a fairly deep saucepan, heat the vegetable oil on a med/high flame, then add the sliced onion and garlic. Turn down the heat so you can cook this without it burning. Stir and cook until the onion is soft.. about 4 minutes. Now add the ground roasted geera to the pot and stir. it will go grainy and darker. That is normal. Make sure the heat is down to low and cook for 3-4 minutes. What we’re doing is allowing the roasted geera to toast and release it’s full bouquet.
Start adding the seasoned chicken to the pot and stir as you add. The idea is to coat all the pieces with some of that lovely sort of paste we created and to pick up all the bits from the bottom of the pan (similar to deglazing). Have the heat at med/high and now cover the pot. It will come to a sort of boil and star releasing some natural juices. This is when you’ll turn down the heat and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes. Check occasionally and stir as well. If for some reason there’s no liquid, add a bit of water to allow the chicken to fully cook.
After 10-12 minutes, the chicken should be almost fully cooked. Since we’re using chicken breast, we really don’t want to overcook this or risk it going dry. There should still be a bit of liquid in the pan, so it’s time to remove the lid and turn up the heat a bit. The idea is to burn off all that liquid and in doing so give the pieces of chicken a lovely coating of all the spice and seasoning we used. It should take about 3-4 minutes to completely burn off… you’re done!
If you’re having this as a snack while enjoying some beverages with friends, it’s enough for about 4 people and could easily stretch for 5-6 people as a side dish with dinner. The first time I had this, was with split peas dhal and boiled brown rice and it was quite tasty. You can certainly adjust the amount of geera and hot pepper you use to your own liking. I guess the same can be said for the salt as I know we all have a different tolerance for salt. Here’s a helpful video showing the entire cooking process for this geera chicken recipe.
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—0–>Winner Wanted!<–0–
It’s that time again! New for 2012 one lucky reader will win a spanking new copy of “Aroma – The Magic Of Essential Oils In Food And Fragrance“. A $45 value, will be shipped to the lucky winner the first week of February(we even pay the shipping cost). All you have to do is tell me what’s your favorite herb and why, in the comment section below and your name will be automatically entered to win. Yea.. it’s that simple.
There are two bonus ways you can have your name entered in the contest, giving you 3 chances at winning. Along with leaving a comment below, go to the Facebook fan page and/or the Youtube cooking channel and leave a comment there. I don’t care what your comment is, but it would be nice if you could tell me what you like about your favorite herb/s.
Here are the rules pertaining to winning the copy of “Aroma – The Magic Of Essential Oils In Food And Fragrance“”…
- contest is open to everyone globally (even if you won something here before)
- there are 3 ways to enter your name (see above)
- 1 winner will be chosen at random (if you left 3 comments, your name will be entered 3 times)
- contest is open from January 5 – to midnight January 31.
- winners will be announced within 1 week of the official close date.
- the winners will have 1 week to contact us with mailing address
- we will cover all shipping expenses (standard mail)
I hope you take a moment to enter your name as I’d really like to mail this book out to you. It’s simple, free and would make for a great addition to your cooking library.
Some of you will be saying “Chris this is just your original jerk marinade scaled down”, but with Tehya in the kitchen with me… I had to do this from scratch for her. This chile keeps having craving for spicy food, so this time when she came to me to make up a batch of jerk wings for her, I told her it’s time she learned how to organize it herself. You can see her in action in the jerk chicken wings video I posted late last night on the food channel.
I must mention that there’s no comparison to making this over coals on a grill, but with winter approaching I wanted to give you guys the option to be able to do this in the oven indoors. Now don’t get me wrong… no winter will ever stop me from grilling on the BBQ as I have no problem dressing like Sasquatch and taking on the cold to do my thing on the BBQ outside.
You’ll Need…
2 scallions (green onions)
5 sprigs of fresh thyme (about 1 tablespoon chopped)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Habanero pepper (scotch bonnet or any that you like)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 onion
1/4 cup orange juice
2 cloves garlic
3 lbs chicken wings.
The first thing we have to do is make the jerk marinade. Give the onion, garlic, hot pepper and scallions a rough chop so it’s easier for the blender or food processor to work it into the runny consistency we’ll need. Remember to wear gloves when working with peppers with extreme heat like habanero and scotch bonnet.
Basically all we need to do now is pour everything into the food processor and give it a few pulses until you get a sort of smooth (runny) consistency.
* If you don’t have access to a food processor or blender, you can certainly chop everything as fine as you can and give it all a good mix in a bowl.
We then washed the chicken wings with some lemon juice (you can use lime or vinegar as well – about 3-4 tablespoons) and rinsed with cool water and drain. Pat dry with paper towels so the marinade can really stick onto the wings. Pour 1/3 of the marinade on the wings and using your hands, massage the wings with this lovely jerk marinade. Allow this to marinate for at least 30 minutes, before you place it into a 400 degree oven (middle rack).
After 30 minutes we took it out of the oven to give it a good stir (flip wings) and put back for another 30 minutes.
The last 5 minutes you can turn on the broiler setting and allow the wings to get a rich brown color with a sort of toasted edges. You may have to give them a flip to ensure all sides gets this lovely sort of charred look.
You will notice there will be a sort of gravy formed at the bottom, this is excellent to pour over peas and rice to accompany these jerk chicken wings.
Tips: Line your baking dish with aluminum foil or use a disposable pan when roasting these in the oven as I did (it will make clean-up much easier). Add some brown sugar and fresh ginger to the marinade for that extra kick of flavor. Remember that most of the heat in peppers are in the seeds and area around the seeds. So if you want to cut back on the heat level, remove the seeds.
To make dry wings, simply place the wings on a wire rack over your baking dish after the wings have been marinating. This will give you crispy wings which will be packed with a good punch of Jamaican jerk goodness.
Tehya was quite happy with the final outcome of her first jerk chicken wings and though she was a bit hesitant to use the large chef’s knife to chop the onions etc.. she was very proud of her accomplishment. In future videos/recipes I’ll try to include Indy and Kieana so you guys can get to know them better and they can learn how to cook so they too can carry on our culinary traditions. It’s time we got our children involved in the kitchen and away from all the other distractions (video games, computer, cell phones.. boys!)
Before I forget… the remaining jerk marinade can be stored in a plastic bowl in the fridge for at least a week or frozen for a couple months.
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Similar to the original curry baigan and aloo recipe I shared with you guys back in 2009 (time really flies), this one is very flexible and can work as a vegetarian meal or you can add left over stewed meats or pieces of salted cod and take it to another level. With the strong East Indian influence in our culinary traditions, you’ll find than many of the vegetables and ways of cooking is directly related to that connection. This is why you’ll see from time to time I mention names of things you won’t necessarily be familiar with, but I do try to clear things up on such occasions. Baigan is just another word for eggplant and aloo is basically potato. So don’t be surprised to see this dish refereed to as baigan and aloo in some Trinbago restaurants.
You’ll Need…
1 lb Japanese eggplant (or your fav)
2-3 cloves garlic sliced or crushed
1/4 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper (any hot pepper you like)
1/2 large onion diced
1 large potato cubed -chunky
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable)
dash black pepper
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
* As with the ingredients listed above, this is a vegetarian dish but I had some left over stewed chicken which I added the last 5 minutes of cooking to enhance the flavor a bit (this is optional). The stewed chicken recipe can be found at: Ultimate Trinbagonian Stew Chicken.
We’ll start by prepping all the ingredients. Peel and dice the onion, slice the pepper and crush or slice very thin the garlic. I decided to leave the skin on a couple of the eggplant for a bit of texture and to get some of that unique sweetness that Japanese eggplant seems to have. The other two I peeled. I then cut off the stems and cut each eggplant into three sections (length) to which I then cut strips, similar to if I were making fries. Finally I peeled, washed and cubed (in chunks) the potato. I used a Yukon Gold variety as I just love the sort of creamy texture of it. But you’re free to use any variety of potato you may have.
On a medium/high heat I heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then add the pieces of sliced (or crushed) garlic and allow that to cook for a couple minutes. You should start getting that wonderful garlic scent and the edges should start going golden. Now add the pieces of eggplant, then top with the onion, pepper, salt, black pepper and potato. Give it a good stir, then add the water. Bring it up to a boil, then lower te heat to a gentle simmer and allow to cook for about 25 minutes with the saucepan covered. Be sure to stir every 7 minutes or so.
You will find that it will start to melt away and turn into a sort of mushy texture… this is exactly what we’re looking for. After 25 minutes, the eggplant and potato should be tender and this is a good time to add any leftover meats you may want to add. If you plan on adding salted cod to this dish, I would add it after adding the garlic and allow it to cook for a couple minutes before adding everything else. If you’re keeping this dish strictly vegetarian, after 25 minutes if you have a lot of liquid left in the pan, turn up the heat and cook it off. You should not se any clear liquid in the finished dish.
If you did add pieces of left over stewed chicken as I did, turn up the heat after adding and cook until any liquid burns off.. usually about 3-5 minutes. Taste for salt as I’m sure your taste is different than mine. Add accordingly.
This goes well with Sada Roti and should be enough for 4-5 people as a side. I was at my sisters restaurant a while back and was quite surprised at how many people came in especially for this… but without any meat and curried as I shared in the previous recipe.
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