Coconut Rice Jerk Chicken Bowls with Sweet Plantains

Want to know my favorite quick and nutritious meal idea? Hands down, my absolute favorite is a grain bowl. The flavors are endless, they are a great way to use up whatever you have on hand, and can be really simple to make. This particular carribean-inspired bowl has been on repeat lately at our house and it couldn’t be easier. Don’t let the lengthy ingredient list indimidate you. Spicy and flavorful jerk chicken is cooled off with the tropical coconut rice and sweet, ripe plantains. Top it all off with a squeeze of lime will have you feeling like you are on a tropical vacation in about half an hour.

Let’s Get Spicy

If you aren’t familiar, jerk is traditionally a wet marinade from Jamaica that includes spicy scotch bonnet peppers, warm spices like cinnamon and cloves, some herbs for freshness and brown sugar for a touch of sweetness. However, using many of the same herbs and spices in their dried form, you can get the same complex, savory, spicy and sweet flavors in a fraction of the time. For this recipe, there is quite a list of spices that you will need to achieve the classic jerk spice. However, I’d bet most of the spices are already liking in your spice drawer. Go ahead and grab a small bowl to mix up your spices before seasoning the chicken. I am usually a fan of dirtying the least dishes possible, but making sure to mix up your spices before adding them to the chicken guarantees even distribution of flavor.

Jerk Chicken

I’ll spare you the image of raw chicken, because let’s be honest, there is nothing appetizing about a pan full of raw chicken. Once your spice mix has been made up, toss your chicken in the spices and arrange your chicken on a baking sheet. I like to use parchment paper underneath to prevent sticking. Now, if you are thinking, “Anna Kate, those chicken breasts look really lumpy.” Well, that is because they are not chicken breasts. For this recipe, we are using boneless, skinless chicken thighs. If you are like me and the thought of dark meat is not so appealing, this is definitely the recipe to step into the dark side. Boneless skinless breasts are notorios for drying out in the oven, but the fattiness of the dark meat keeps these super moist. The fat melts off, producing lean and meaty chicken with tons of flavor. We’re going to bake at 450 for about 25 minutes on the top rack of the oven. The result is golden brown, juicy delicious jerk chicken.

Coconut Rice

The base to these bowls is this delicious, mildly sweet coconut rice that couldn’t be easier to make. Let me go ahead and state for the record that I have learned that there is a right way and a wrong way to make rice. The right way is the way you do it, and the wrong way is the way everyone else does it. Let’s put aside our potential differences on rice cooking for the time being and agree that you will make this rice my way. Ok? Great! Add a little coconut oil to a 2 quart saucepan over medium high heat. Add the rice to the oil and stir to coat. Toast the rice for 2 minutes, stiring constantly. You may hear it pop a little and the rice will start to become transparent. Add the sugar, coconut milk, salt and water to the rice, bring it to a boil, give it a stir, cover and drop the heat to low. Allow the rice to simmer on low for 20 minutes until the liquid is fully absorbed. Remove from the heat, let sit 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork.

Sweet Plantains – how to choose and prep

Have you ever seen those giant bananas that are either fully green or look almost rotten at the grocery store? Those my friends, are plantains, a close relative of bananas and they are delicious. The green ones are super starchy instead of sweet and often fried. For this recipe, we are making lighly pan fried sweet ripe plantains, often called maduros. When shopping for ripe plantains, look for fruit that has a deep yellow peel with lots of brown spots. They may look a little past ripe, but that means they are just perfect. To prep your plantains, you will need to use a knife to trim of the thick peel. Cut off both ends and run a knife just through the depth of the peel from one end through the other. Using your fingers, gently push back the peel. Slice into disks about a half inch thick. Heat a tablespoon of coconut oil over medium heat. Add plantains to the skillet and cook 2 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove to a paper towel to drain off any excess oil.

Bring it all together

To assemble your bowls, add a base of the coconut rice to your bowls. Once your chicken has cooled for 5 to 10 minutes, slice in strips and add a squeeze of lime. Add chicken and a few slices of plantains to the bowl. Serve with an extra lime wedge to squeeze over the top. That’s it! Want to take things to the next level? Serve this with authentic hibiscus tea for the perfect summer meal. Enjoy!