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When I think of jerk chicken, I think of super juicy, flavorful chicken and fragrant rice. To make this a full balanced meal, I like to turn this into a jerk chicken rice bowl with a snap pea salsa, mashed avocado, and salsa.
It might not be a traditional version of jerk chicken, but it’s easy to make at home and perfect for a weeknight dinner.
If you have time, you can marinate the chicken overnight. However, you can also just cook the chicken directly after tossing it with the marinade – it will still be delicious.
Table of Contents
- Chef Tips
- Ingredients
- Prep
- Cooking
- Storage and Reheating
- Looking for more similar recipes?
- The Recipe
Chef Tips:
For Ingredients:
- Snap peas – use fresh sugar snap peas (these are different from snow peas so be careful when you are buying them), as they are used raw in the snap pea salsa.
- Habanero pepper – known as one of the most spicy varieties of peppers, this pepper helps give the jerk chicken marinade a bit of a kick. I actually didn’t find this to make the marinade too spicy, as I omitted the seeds. Feel free to substitute with a jalapeno pepper or skip altogether if you don’t want any spice.
On prep:
- Snap peas – I usually use my fingers to peel off the tough “strings” that are on the side of the snap peas. However, since we are slicing the snap peas into thin ⅛” thick slices for the salsa, the string won’t be very noticeable so you don’t have to do this. Take your time and thinly slice 5-6 snap peas at a time. Transfer the cut snap peas into a bowl and repeat until you’ve cut all the snap peas.
- *If you prefer less cutting and still have delicious snap peas, you can alternatively slice each snap pea in half on a bias, then cook the snap peas in boiling water for 30 seconds. Afterwards, shock the snap peas in ice water, and then toss the snap pea salsa together.
- Habanero pepper – use gloves and a knife to trim the pepper flesh away from the seeds. If you touch the pepper at all with your bare hands, please be careful and don’t touch your face or anything sensitive. The spice translates!!!
- Use a food processor or blender to make the jerk chicken marinade. Combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth. The marinade may seem chunky, but it is what gives the chicken a lot of flavor and that deep rich dark color after it’s cooked.
For Cooking
- For the kidney rice pilaf, I don’t wash the rice. I find that washing rice throws off the rice / water ratio, and it’s difficult to measure the correct amount of water after washing. Toast the rice for 1 minute to release the starches, and it shouldn’t be clumpy after it’s cooked. If you are adamant about washing the rice, use your usual method of measuring water. The canned kidney beans don’t change the rice to water ratio at all – it just adds volume.
- I prefer to cook my chicken in a cast iron pan, for about 4-5 minutes on each side, flipping occasionally. However you can use an air fryer (400F for 10-13 minutes) if you prefer.
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Store the chicken and rice in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The snap pea salsa won’t store very well after the first day if you toss it with the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. However, if you keep the salsa untossed with the oil, lemon, and salt, it will stay fresh for 3-4 days. Toss the salsa with the oil, lemon, and salt right before you serve, and it’ll be delicious.
Reheating: Reheat the chicken in rice, then assemble the with the remaining other components.
Other great recipes:
- Ginger Scallion Chicken Noodle Bowl
- Chicken Vermicelli Bowl
- One Pot Creamy Mushroom Chicken and Rice Skillet
Video
Recipe
Jerk Chicken Rice Bowl
When I think of jerk chicken, I think of super juicy and flavorful chicken and fragrant rice. To make this a full balanced meal, I like to turn this into a jerk chicken rice bowl with a snap pea salsa, mashed avocado, and salsa.
Equipment
- Cast iron
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb Boneless skinless chicken thighs
For the jerk chicken marinade:
- ½ yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 scallion, roughly chopped
- 1/2 habanero pepper , no seeds
- 1 clove garlic
- Black pepper
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Kidney Rice Pilaf
- ¾ cup white rice
- 1 can kidney beans, 14 ounce
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 sprig thyme
Snap Pea Salsa
- 4 persian cucumbers, small
- 2 cups sugar snap peas, about 6 ounces
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Mashed avocado
- 2 each avocados
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the kidney rice pilaf – add the rice to a pot. Turn on the heat and toast for 1-2 minutes (this helps release the starches). Drain and rinse the kidney beans, then add this to the pot with the rice. Add the water, salt and thyme. Bring everything up to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat after 20 minutes and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, make the chicken marinade. Add all the ingredients for the marinade into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth, then toss with the boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Cook the chicken – heat a cast iron pan on medium high heat. Once hot, add a tablespoon of oil. Then, add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, flipping occasionally to prevent burning. It’s ok if the chicken begins to develop a dark color on each side, just continue flipping or lower the heat if it begins to burn. When the chicken is finished, slice into ½” strips.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the snap pea salsa. Thinly slice the snap peas and dice the cucumbers. Thinly chop the cilantro. Add the vegetables to a mixing bowl, and toss with the olive oil, lemon juice, chopped cilantro, salt, and pepper. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, then set aside.
- Mash the avocado with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Taste, adjust seasoning, and set aside.
- Build the bowls with ½ cup of the kidney rice pilaf. Add a portion (~5-6 pieces) of chicken partially on the rice and partially to the side of the rice. Add several large spoonfuls of the snap pea salsa to the remainder of the bowl. Top with the mashed avocado and several dollops of salsa (optional), and enjoy!
Notes
If you have time, you can marinate the chicken overnight. However, you can also just cook the chicken directly after tossing it with the marinade – it will still be delicious.
Nutrition
Calories: 512kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 43g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 162mg, Sodium: 1576mg, Potassium: 943mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 701IU, Vitamin C: 37mg, Calcium: 84mg, Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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