Jerk Chicken Potato Patties, by Diane

This recipe is a fusion of two of my favorite recipes, Crockpot Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Baked Kerala Chicken Cutlet. I wanted to make the jerk chicken, but didn't want the carbs of the usual rice and beans I make to go with it, so I made it into patties a la cutlet style. Much easier for me to grab on the go anyway, which is one of the reasons I love these cutlets so much! These turned out EXACTLY as I had envisioned, the delicious flavor of the jerk chicken with the creamy texture of the potato and the crispy crust. YUM. I didn't even need a dipping sauce to go with them!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
3-4 pounds chicken breasts, cleaned
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
10 peppercorns
5 medium garlic cloves, smashed
3 medium scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups cilantro (about 1 bunch), coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced into 1/4-inch coins
1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, sliced into rounds
3 large potatoes
2 eggs
1/2 cup each flour and breadcrumbs


Directions:

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Coat the chicken all over with the rub and set into the base of the crockpot.
2. Throw the remaining ingredients through habanero peppers into the crockpot and cook on low for 5-8 hours. Remove the chicken and blend in food processor with 1 cup of the liquid (not the ginger or habanero) until just before smooth. Keep the remaining sauce in case you need to add more to the mixture later.
3. 30 minutes before the chicken is done, peel, cube, and boil the potatoes until soft. Puree in a food processor until smooth.
4. Add the chicken to the potatoes and mix well. Taste for flavor- if it needs more flavor, add more sauce!
5. Preheat oven to 375°. Coat 2 9X5 baking trays with cooking spray.
6. Take flour and bread crumbs in two separate plates. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl big enough to dip each of the patties. Take each shaped patty, roll in flour, dip in egg, roll in bread crumbs and place them on the baking sheet.
7. Spray tops of patties with a final coat of nonstick cooking spray. Bake in oven for 18 minutes when edges are crisp and tops are golden brown. Rotate baking trays halfway through and flip, adding more cooking spray below and on top of the patties.

Carribean Jerk Tacos with Mango Salsa and Picked Red Onions, by Diane

This was one of the best lunches I've had in a long time! It uses one of my all time favorite go-to's, Crockpot Jerk Chicken, in an entirely new way. The pickled red onions, the best taco topper IMO, were so easy to make and I was excited that they were in this recipe. And the mango salsa gave it an extra island kick!

I made two changes to the original recipe here. The first is that I swapped out the yogurt sauce for some spiked coconut milk that I added into the chicken. The second is that I am allergic to peaches (the original recipe has a peach mango salsa) and so I bought my favorite mango salsa that Giant sells- less time = no complaints!

Original Recipe here: portandfin.com/jerk-chicken-tacos-with-peach-mango-salsa-pickled-red-onions/

Ingredients:

For the Chicken:

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
10 peppercorns
5 medium garlic cloves, smashed
3 medium scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups cilantro (about 1 bunch), coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced into 1/4-inch coins
1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, sliced into rounds

For the Salsa:

2 peaches, peeled and chopped
1 mango, peeled, cored and chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
½ bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 lime, juiced
⅛ tsp salt

For the Onions:

1 medium red onion, halved and sliced thinly
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
10 peppercorns
1 tbsp sugar
water

1 can coconut milk
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
Corn tortillas

Directions:

1. Combine the first 4 spices of the chicken ingredients in a small bowl. Coat the chicken all over with the rub and set in the bottom of the crockpot. Place the remaining chicken ingredients in a medium nonreactive bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over the chicken, cover, and cook on low, turning the chicken pieces every few hours, until the meat is falling off the bone, about 5 to 8 hours.
2. While the chicken cooks, place the onion ingredients into a mason jar through sugar, then add water until all the onions are covered. Set aside.
3. Chop all the salsa ingredients and combine in a bowl, set aside.
4. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite-sized pieces (discarding the ginger) and place back in the slow cooker with the sauce until ready to serve. Combine the coconut milk, chili powder, and cumin in a bowl and add to the chicken. 
5. Place all ingredients into a corn tortilla and enjoy!

Crockpot Jamaican Jerk Chicken, by Diane

This week I decided to branch out to a new cuisine- Jamaican. I've never cooked it before but decided to give it a whirl, and it was fairly simple to cook and complete. I tried out the classic jerk chicken, but was concerned about the spice level. I know from experience that what is spicy to us is bland to Jamaicans, and jerk chicken typically uses a scotch bonnet pepper along with peppercorns, lots of garlic, and lots of ginger. However, I stuck to the recipe and it was perfectly spicy! When combined with the Rice and Peas (coconut rice and black beans), it perfectly paired with the heat level of this dish. I found a crockpot version to make things easier too, which cuts down the marinade time and cook time by over a day. I also shredded the chicken in the end to allow the flavor to spread to all the meat.


The end result was an amazing flavor that I quickly have become obsessed with! It's really versatile too, you can eat it alone with just the rice and peas, on a sandwich, in a taco, or I've even eaten in for breakfast with an egg scrambled in on a breakfast taco!

I am posting my version instead of the original recipe here, as I made a few changes. I didn't put in into sandwiches but ate it as is with the peas and rice. I also used breasts instead of chicken thighs from a personal preference. Finally, I've made this dish several times and have found that you don't need to do the initial step of frying the chicken first- it tastes the same to me. So I am removing that step from this recipe here, because ain't nobody got time for an extra step!

Recipe from: http://www.chow.com/recipes/27788-pulled-jerk-chicken-sandwiches

Ingredients:

For the rub:

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

For the chicken:

3-4 pounds chicken breasts, cleaned

For the marinade:

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
10 peppercorns
5 medium garlic cloves, smashed
3 medium scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups cilantro (about 1 bunch), coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced into 1/4-inch coins
1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, sliced into rounds

Directions:

1. Combine all rub ingredients in a small bowl. Coat the chicken all over with the rub and set into the base of the crockpot. 
2. Place all marinade ingredients in a medium nonreactive bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over the chicken, cover, and cook on low, turning the chicken pieces every few hours, until the meat is falling off the bone, about 5 to 8 hours.
3. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite-sized pieces (discarding the ginger) and place back in the slow cooker with the sauce until ready to serve.