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Caribbean Entree Jamaican Grilled Chicken Succulent grilled chicken, first rubbed with a Caribbean jerk seasoning then soaked in a citrusy marinade.
Marinate: combine all ingredients for jerk jeasoning in a jar and shake to mix thoroughly. In a bowl, combine jerk with marinade ingredients, whisking to blend. Pour over chicken breasts in a shallow container, cover, and chill 1 to 4 hours. Grill: brush grill with oil and preheat to medium. Remove chicken and reserve marinade. Grill breasts 6-8 minutes, basting with marinade. Turn and grill 6 minutes more (or till done). |
Tips & Glossary Caribbean cuisine is an exquisite blend of African, Asian, European, and Carib Indian (the area's original inhabitants) foods. Dishes are highly seasoned, either with a dry rub or marinade —or both. Below are some typical ingredients found in Caribbean food. Callaloo: young leaves of either the taro root plant or amaranth; used widely in Caribbean cooking. Spinach can be used as a substitute. Spices: Allspice, bay leaves, black pepper, chives, chili peppers, cilantro, cinnamon, coconut, curry powder, escallion, garlic, ginger, lime, mace, nutmeg, onion, oregano, sugar, thyme, orange, tomato paste, vanilla, cayenne (red) pepper. Jerk: Jamaican cooking method in which meat is rubbed, prior to grilling, with a blend of seasonings, often firey hot. • 1 T each—onion powder, garlic powder, dried chives, brown sugar; 2 tsp. each— (ground) allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon; 1 tsp. each—sage. thyme, salt, black pepper, cayenne (or more to taste). Mix thoroughly and store in a tightly covered jar. There are thousands of versions; figure out what flavors you like most and add or subtract accordingly. Typical meats: goat, pork, chicken, and some beef (though beef has tended to be expensive). Fish: varieties that abound in surrounding waters, some familiar to us—grouper, cod, tilapia, blue marlin; others not so—200 species of jack, chip-chips (tiny clams), casadura (primitive armored catfish). Native plant foods: More familiar foods:
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