Jerk Chicken Bowls with Rice and a Spicy Cabbage Slaw

When people ask me rub or sauce, I say both. It’s how I do my ribs and it’s how I’m doin my jerk chicken! Enjoy this jerk chicken meal complete with grilled jerk chicken thighs, rice and peas and a cabbage slaw.

Let’s start with the rub. A blend of garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, parsley, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, pepper and brown sugar. For the marinade or what is often referred to sauce, I mixed finely cut green onion, garlic, ginger and white onion with lime juice, orange juice, soy sauce, olive oil, brown sugar, nutmeg and fresh thyme.

Next is the rice and beans that are typically referred to as rice and peas in the Jamaican culture. It is a blend of brown jasmine rice, kidney beans and a mix of spices.

Lastly is the amazing cabbage slaw that consists of cabbage, savoy cabbage, red onion, mango and an amazing mustard chili dressing. This slaw is so freakin good! I could see myself making this slaw with a little bit of mayo to eat with BBQ.

My thing here is don’t get intimidated by the long ingredient list because a lot of ingredients are spices you probably have and are repetitive.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Jerk Rub

• 1 t garlic powder

• 1 t onion powder

• 1 t cayenne pepper

• 1 t smoked paprika

• 1 t parsley

• 1 t cumin

• 1 t cinnamon

• 1 t nutmeg

• 1/4 t ground cloves

• 1 t salt

• 1 t pepper

• 1 T brown sugar

• 4 chicken thighs

Jerk Sauce/Marinade

• 1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped

• 6 stalks green onion, thinly sliced

• 1 inch giner, minced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 lime, juice

• 1 orange, juice

• 3 T soy sauce

• 2 T olive oil

• 1 T brown sugar

• 1/2 t nutmeg

• 3 sprigs fresh thyme

Rice & Peas (Beans)

• 1 T olive oil

• 1/4 onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 c brown jasmine rice

• 1 15 oz can kidney beans

• 2 c water

• 1/4 t salt

• 1/4 t pepper

• 1/4 t cumin

• 1/4 t smoked paprika

• 1/4 t nutmeg

• 1/4 t cinnamon

• pinch of ground cloves

Cabbage Slaw

• 1/4 c olive oil

• 1 T dijon mustard

• 1 T apple cider vinegar

• 2 T chili paste (1 if you don’t like it spicy)

• 1 T brown sugar

• 10 oz bag shredded cabbage

• 1/2 savoy cabbage, thinly sliced

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

• 1 mango, cut into match stick pieces

Directions

1. Start by mix all the jerk rub spices together and rubbing them all over the chicken thighs including under the skin. Place in a container or zip loc bag. Then mix all the marinade ingredients and pour all over the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (I did mine and recommend overnight).

2. In a medium size saute pan or pot on medium heat, cook the olive oil, garlic and onion until the onion is translucent. Add the rice, beans and spice. Mix and let the rice toast for a minute. Then add the water, cover and put on medium to medium high heat. Cook for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile you’ll want to grill your chicken on medium to medium high heat for about 8 minutes on each side. You can also prepare your slaw by mixing the mustard, cider vinegar, chili paste and brown sugar to create the dressing and toss in with the shredded cabbages, red onion and mango.

4. Once everything is done, serve together on a plate or in a bowl topped with sliced green onion.

Notes

Gluten-free: This recipe is gluten-free if you use tamari (gluten-free soy sauce).

Dairy-free: This recipe is dairy-free.

Smoked Paprika: You can used regular paprika but I do recommend the smoked because it does have a different flavor. You can buy it cheap at walmart.

Brown Sugar: If you want to be healthier, replace the brown sugar with coconut sugar in the rub and honey in the marinade and dressing.

Chicken Thighs: I normally don’t eat chicken thighs because they are higher in fat, but I decided to treat myself. You can use chicken breasts for a healthier option.

Fresh Thyme: If you don’t want to use fresh thyme, use 1 t of dried.

Brown Jasmine Rice: I used brown Jasmine rice to be healthier but you can of course use white jasmine rice. Jasmine rice is the traditional rice to use here, but you can replace with another kind if you’d like.

Kidney Beans: Kidney beans are traditional for Jamaican rice, but if you are not a fan, yuou can always replace with another kind of beans or leave them out.

Savoy Cabbage: I do recommend using bothe the regular and savoy cabbage for this slaw, but if you really don’t want to (lol) go ahead and use two bags of the regular cabbage.