When All Else Fails....

"When all else fails, take a vacation.."-Betty Williams

Vacation has come and gone. I am back to renovating my middle aged home and working (at work). I have been dreaming lately of travel. Travel anywhere really would do. Maybe it's because so many people I know are en route to somewhere fabulous or maybe it's just because travel is still so far in the future for me..

With vacation lingering on my mind,  I sipped on the end of my Blue Mountain coffee laden with Jamaican Rum cream and I decided to try my hand at traditional jerk chicken. Jamaica was my last vacation (PEI, albeit beautiful, tranquil and wonderful does not count) and the food was superb, especially the jerk.

Little did I know the marinade had 18 ingredients alone! Although that seems excessive, all you have to do it is throw it in a food processor. Press start and HUZZAH, the best chicken marinade you will ever have. Full of rich, flavourful spices with just a bit of heat, it keeps the chicken tender and moist while making your taste buds dance. It made three whole cups, jerk chicken for days (and I froze some too!). If you want to spice up your cooking and chicken is just a little bit dull lately, check it out. Just be sure not to dice the hot peppers then scratch your nose and subsequently your eye...it burns. Enjoy!
-m

Jerk Chicken
Yield- ~3 cups (one cup marinades 4 chicken breasts)

In a food processor, or blender combine:

4-5 chopped green onions
A few spring of fresh thyme (or 1/2 tbs dried)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbs of brown sugar
2 tsp ground all-spice
1tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2-3 scotch bonnet peppers (2 if you are a wimp..)
1/3 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)
2 tbs of veg. oil
1/4 cup of vinegar
1 diced onion
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 cloves diced garlic
1 tsp fresh ground ginger

Combine above in food processor and pulverise. Pour marinade over chicken, I used breasts but I have a feeling a bone in cut would be even better. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Pour chick and marinade into a baking dish and cook at 350 for an hour or so (until cooked through). If you chose a cut with skin, broiling it at the end will ensure crispy, flavourful chicken!