Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Mango Salsa & Cilantro Lime Quinoa

I usually cook chicken the same ‘ol way.  Add some spices, grill on the BBQ or bake in the oven.

Snore.

I figured it was time to kick it up a notch or two.  The first time I had jerk chicken I thought I was going to have to call the fire department because my mouth was shooting flames! Yes, it can be spicy but if you make it yourself at home you can control the amount of heat you add.  This recipe is bursting with flavour and is medium to low on the spicy scale, so feel free to add more or less to suit your taste.  The sweetness of the salsa also helps balance out the heat.

You can make this with any type of chicken. I prefer thighs because you really can’t mess it up on the BBQ as they don’t dry out like chicken breast.  These practically fell apart as I was taking them off the BBQ…delish! And the hubbs absolutely loved them 🙂

Serves 6

For the Jerk Chicken
2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
4 green onions, rough chopped
1/4 jalapeno (or Scotch bonnet) pepper, seeded*
1/2 cup white onion, rough chopped
1/2 cup coconut aminos or soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
2 Tbsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp all spice
S&P

For the Pineapple Mango Salsa (yields 1 cup)
1/2 cup pineapple, diced (about 85g)
1/2 cup mango, diced (about 85g)
2 green onions, diced
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

For the Cilantro Lime Quinoa (yields 3 cups)
1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
Zest and juice of half a lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, chopped

To prepare the jerk chicken, add all the ingredients (except the chicken!) to a blender and blend on high until smooth.  You can reserve 1/4 cup for basting.  Pour the remainder over the chicken either in a shallow baking dish or large Ziplock bag.  Cover, refrigerate and allow to marinade for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Remove from fridge and allow the chicken to come to room temperature (30 minutes to an hour).

To prepare the salsa, add all the ingredients to a bowl, stir well, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.  This can also be done the night before.Preheat BBQ to 350F.  I usually start out my meat on tin foil then transfer to the grill for the last few minutes.  This helps the meat from sticking to the grill.

Cook chicken about 5 to 6 minutes a side.  Baste the chicken a few times with the reserved sauce.Meanwhile, prepare the quinoa. Bring the water to a boil in a medium sauce pan.  Add quinoa, reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed.  Stir in lime juice, zest and cilantro.  Cover and set aside.When the chicken is ready, top with pineapple mango salsa and serve with cilantro lime quinoa.  Enjoy!

*Normally the jerk chicken gets its spice from Scotch bonnet peppers, however I could not find them in my grocery store so I substituted with jalapeno.

Nutritional Info per serving
(4 oz chicken, 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, 2 Tbsp salsa)
386 Calories, 30g Carbs, 4g Fibre, 12g Fat, 38g Protein, 7g Sugar

Please Note:  Nutritional info is gathered from MyFitnessPal and may vary depending on your ingredients.  Therefore, it is not always 100% accurate and meant to be used as a reference only.