Jerk Chicken, Plantains, Coleslaw and Peach Salsa

Before making this Jerk Chicken and Plantain dinner, I decided it would be interesting to learn a little more about the history of this dish and where it came from. You can learn so much about a culture from their food. Jerk chicken comes from Jamaica and describes the way that a meat is seasoned and cooked. The blend of spices came from the Maroons, a group  of escaped slaves from the British. The seasoning includes a complex blend of onions, scotch bonnet peppers, salt, thyme, allspice, black pepper and many other spices that grow well in Jamaica. Traditionally the meat is marinated and then slow cooked over pimento wood, but I just used the oven.

Plantains are closely related to the common banana but they have more starch and are not eaten raw. The plant is believed to have originated from Southeast Asia and can be eaten when it is still green when it is the most starchy. Check out this website to tell if your plantain is ripe, https://thepioneerwoman.com/food-and-friends/whats-the-deal-with-plantains/

Instant Pot Jerk Chicken

Ingredients

• ½ onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (or coconut aminos )
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp coriander
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp orange juice freshly squeezed
• 6 boneless and skinless chicken thighs

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a food processor or blender and process until liquified.
2. Mix the sauce with chicken in a bowl and marinate for 30 minutes.
3. Turn instatnt pot to saute setting on high and saute each side of chicken for about 2 minutes.
4. Turn off saute setting add remaining marinade to the pot and then set to pressure cook setting for 8 minutes.
5. Do a quick release when pressure cooking time has elapsed.
6. Serve with plantains, quinoa and coleslaw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plantains

Ingredients

• 2 plantains
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Chili powder

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400º Fahrenheit.
2. Cut your plantains on the diagonal, as shown below, into slices about 1/4″ thick.
3. Place the plantain slices in a bowl, add the oil, salt, pepper and chili powder and toss them gently to coat them.
4. Arrange the plantain slices on a baking sheet and place in the oven
5. Cook for 12 minutes then carefully flip the plantains with a pair of tongs.
   Cook for an additional 8 minutes, or until you’re happy with the level of caramelization on both sides.
6. Serve with jerk chicken, coleslaw and peach salsa

 

Coleslaw

Ingredients

• 1 bag of shredded cabbage (I use the purple and green cabbage mix from Trader Joes)
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup light olive oil

Directions

1. Whisk all of the ingredients dressing ingredients together in a bowl. This includes everything  except the shredded cabbage and cherry tomatoes.
2. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and cherry tomatoes and stir.
3. Serve with the jerk chicken, plantains and peach salsa

Peach salsa

Ingredients

• 2 peaches, diced
• ½ jalapeno, small dice
• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and serve with the Jerk Chicken