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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