One Pan Jerk Chicken & Mediterranean Rice

The first place in the U.S that I laid my eyes on was Chicago. That was one decade ago.

Chicago was home for a year and in that time, I developed a love hate relationship with it. It’s a beautiful city with plenty of character, but when winter came, I got a shock of my life.

Literally.

It was so cold.. like SO COLD, with wind chills that almost killed a tropical country girl’s ears and knocked off the charts of my skin thermometer.

On a bright note, the highlights in Chicago were:

Cloud Gate aka ‘The Bean’ & The Crown Fountain
Dyeing the river green for St Patrick’s Day,
Chicago Air and Water Show
The Baha’i House of Worship
First shopping at outlets
My first white Christmas

Oh Chicago. I do miss you.

Food was probably my savior in Chicago. Especially during the winter. It kept me alive.

Literally.

Yes, Chicago has the tendency to cause many aspects of my life to become literal.

The deep dish pizza was a real shocker (as in, I tried to love it but I couldn’t) and so was their lack of good Southeast Asian Food (at least compared to L.A). However, I have Chicago to thank for. It introduced me to my very first Jerk Chicken.

It was at a Taste of Chicago food festival held at the beautiful Grant Park on the magnificent lakefront. I was intrigued upon seeing the chicken being grilled over wood. The name also upped my curiosity. JERK. So I helped myself with one, took a bite and the flavor instantly blew my mind.

It was smoky, spicy and slightly sweet with a hint of flavor from the wood.

The main spice used for Jerk Chicken is allspice. It’s one of the most undervalued and underused spice. It’s a fragrant sweet, spicy & floral spice that lends a great flavor to jerk rubs along with warm spices like nutmeg and cinnamon.

Replicating Jerk Chicken at home is possible. Minus the wood, that is. The marinade, which is a simple yet complex flavor, is the bomb. It does the work so we don’t have to.

The chicken seared until beautifully charred. It is then finished in the oven until tender & juicy along with a herbed Mediterranean rice. This rice is cooked in chicken broth making both the chicken and the rice full of deliciousness and super addictive.

If you love one pan chicken & rice type of meals, you’re also going to love this One Pan Spanish Rice & Spiced Chicken. Yeah, these two may look similar, but the rub is different. Not to mention the rice too. Completely different. The only similarity they both hold is that they’re WILL make you feel like you’ve lost all will power in life. You.Wont.Stop.Eating.

Also, if you haven’t already, check out my last post Steamed BBQ Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao). Freshly steamed spongy and slightly chewy bun with a warm, juicy, flavorful bbq pork filling inside. Heavenly.

 

Have you been to Chicago? What do you love there?

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One pan Jerk Chicken & Mediterranean Rice             Serves 5

what you need:

5 chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 lb)

Jerk Rub & Marinade:
1 medium onion
6 garlic cloves
1 1/2″ ginger
6 green onions
8 dry cayenne chilies, deseeded spicy (increase or decrease as you wish)
1 1/2 tbs allspice
1 1/2 tbs thyme
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
5 whole cloves (or 1/3 tsp ground)
6 bay leaves
3 tbs brown sugar
2 1/2tbs soy sauce
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup lime juice
3 tbs oil

Mediterranean Rice:
1 1/2 tbs unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1/4 cup carrots, diced
1/4 cup peas
1/4 cup corn
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cup chicken stock
Pinch of saffron + 2 tbs hot chicken stock
1 1/4 tsp salt

Garnish:
Cilantro
Pine Nuts

directions:

1. Place all the ingredients for the marinade into the blender and blend until smooth. Pour over chicken and marinate for 12-24 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

3. Over medium high heat, preheat a 12″ cast iron pan. Add a coat of oil to the pan. When the pan is almost smoking, remove the chicken from the marinade and sear the chicken skin side down. Sear for 3 minutes or until charred. Flip and sear the chicken for another 3 minutes or until charred.

4. Set them aside. Remove any burnt bits from the pan (and rinse the pan if you don’t want your rice to be spicy).

5. Over medium high heat, add the butter. Fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic. Fry until garlic turns a light brown. Add the carrot, peas and corn. Stir to combine. Add the rice, parsley, rosemary, bay leaf, chicken stock, saffron mixture and salt. Mix well.

6. Place the chicken (skin side up) on the rice, cover and bring the liquid to boil. Once boiled, transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until chicken is done and rice is cooked. The thickest part of the thigh should read at least 165 F. Remove from the oven and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Fluff and mix the rice. Serve immediately.