Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Salsa and Sweet Coconut Rice

Kelsey and I made a delicious dinner tonight—Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Salsa and Sweet Coconut Rice.

Photos by Kelsey (with Instagram)

Action shot—grilling the chicken.

Salsa—so colorful! And a great combination of sweet 

(pineapple, bell pepper), tangy (scallions), 

and spicy (jalapenos).

Delicious!

I really do love my big cookbooks, but more and more frequently I find recipes on allrecipes.com, which is a great community of online foodies.  I can browse recipes that are well rated and reviewed by other users, and before I make anything I read the comments, where others have offered suggestions and modifications which often improve the final product.

For the rice recipe, one user suggested subbing coconut milk for some of the water—a small adjustment which completely made this whole meal pop!  (The coconut creaminess of the rice balanced the spiciness of the salsa and chicken wonderfully.)

T-plus 20 minutes or so...

Great food, with great company.

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Jerk Chicken Recipe

• chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• Jamaican Jerk Chicken marinade

Marinade chicken overnight.  Grill, brushing on extra marinade sauce.  (I like to use my cast iron skillet in lieu of a proper outdoor grill)

Sweet Coconut Rice Recipe (adapted from allrecipes.com)

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 red apple, chopped
• 1 pinch curry powder
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2/3 cup brown rice
• 1 tsp molasses

Heat oil in saucepan.  Add onion and apple, cook until onion is translucent, stirring frequently.  Stir in curry powder, water, and coconut milk.  Add rice and molasses.  Cover, reduce heat to low.  Simmer for approx. 45 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is soft (may need to add up to 1/4 cup water).

Pineapple Salsa Recipe (adapted from allrecipes.com)

• 2 cups chopped pineapple (fresh or canned)
• 1 chopped red bell pepper
• 1 small jalapeno, chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 to 2 tbsp minced cilantro
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Combine ingredients in bowl.  Serve with chicken.