Jerk Chicken Noodle Stir Fry.

Here’s another dish I enjoy making when we have leftover jerk chicken (something not too common in this house). From the flavors of the residual jerk marinade on the chicken to texture of the slightly cooked vegetables, this is an ideal one-pot dish. As I’ve mentioned in the past, after slavery was abolished on the islands, many indentured laborers from China and India were brought in to facilitate the shortage of labor. So you’ll find that our culinary culture reflect this infusion of Asian flavors and technique in cooking. This dish is the perfect example of how the Caribbean and Asia comes together for something absolutely mouthwatering.

If you can, try to get a “Guyanese” chow-mein type noodle – can be found at most West Indian markets.. it works best for this dish in my opinion.

You’ll Need…

1 package Noodles (about 340 G | 12 oz)
1 stalk celery
1/2 carrot
2 scallions
2 cups jerk chicken (cubed)
2 birds eye pepper (optional)
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups cabbage
1 teaspoon Oyster sauce
1 teaspoon Hoisin Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon veg oil

* Cook the noodles according to package directions “but”.. if it says to cook for 5 minutes, try to under-cook it by a minute or so, so you don’t end up with soggy noodle when it’s stir fried.

Prepare your vegetables (cut, dice etc). I had leftover jerk chicken breast, so all I did was cube it into bit sized pieces. If you don’t have leftover jerk chicken, take 2 large chicken breasts, marinate in your fav Jamaican jerk marinade and broil in the oven for about 15-20 mins (depends on the thickness). Be sure to keep as much of the jerk marinade on the chicken as you cube it as it will add that wicked jerk flavor to this noodle stirfry.

Cook the noodles,drain and set aside. Be sure to have all your ingredients prepped as this is all about cooking fast!

In a deep pan heat the oil on a medium flame then go in with the diced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the celery, cabbage and carrot and cook for another 1-2 minutes. At this time you can add the two birds eye pepper (whole) so we get some flavor and not the raw heat.

It’s now time to add all the sauces and stir well, then go in with the cubed chicken.

Stir well so we get that ‘jerk’ flavor throughout the dish. If you wish you can add a tablespoon of jerk marinade to the pot for that extra kick of Caribbean goodness. Finally it’s time to add the pre-cooked noodles to the pot, stir well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then top with the chopped scallion and you’re done!

It will be normal for the noodle to clump a bit when it’s cooled, but as you add it to the pot and stir.. it will loosen up. Remember to remove the whole peppers (or leave it for those who like heat) before serving. If you want an additional kick (remember the jerk marinade will have scotch bonnet) you can always break the birds eye pepper.

You can personalize this dish by adding your fav vegetables and that’s also a great way to stretch this dish for more people. Bell pepper, bean sprouts, broccoli, zucchini and Christophene (Jamaican choc cho | chayote) will all work well in this dish. NOTE: You will notice that I didn’t add any salt as I’m trying to cut back on the amount of sodium in my diet and the soy sauce will be enough to season this for me. But do taste near the end and adjust to your liking.