Alright, when I say jerk chicken here, I actually mean jerk chicken… kind of. It’s more like a spicy Asian chicken, but has very similar flavors to jerk chicken. And it’s super simple! It’ll also help out with any healthy-eating-related New Years resolutions, as it’s a marinated and grilled chicken.

To make the marinade, start by chopping up a habanero pepper. These babies are HOT! Try and scrape as many of the seeds out as you can and use gloves (or the plastic bag from the grocery store) when chopping it.

And chop up some green onion. Just the green parts.

I used Yoshida’s Teriyaki Sauce as my base. I love this stuff. It is also used to make my mom’s teriyaki chicken. Add the green onion, pepper, some dried thyme, minced garlic, lime juice, kosher salt, and pepper to the teriyaki sauce.

Pour about a third of the marinade into a tupperware container and refrigerate. Then trim the fat off two chicken breasts and let your boyfriend tenderize them with a meat hammer because it’s fun. Or do it yourself if you need to blow off some steam. Cut them in half length wise.

Pour the remaining marinade into a gallon sized plastic bag and add the chicken.

Give it a good shake (also fun) and put the bag in the fridge to sit over night. This gives the chicken time to really soak in all that flavor. The next day you’ll find it almost the same color as the marinade! Like so…

To cook, heat up a grill pan nice and hot, and coat with cooking spray. Lay the chicken on…

Cook for at least 5 minutes on each side. You can cover them if ya’d like!

Once cooked through (about 12 minutes) serve, cut up or whole, over rice. Drizzle on some of the reserved marinade.

And prepare yourself for spicy, grilled goodness.

 

Jerk Chicken
Serves 2-3


Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups Yoshida’s teriyaki sauce
1 habanero pepper, diced
1/4 cup diced green onion (green parts only)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions
1. Trim the fat off the chicken breasts and tenderize with a meat hammer. Cut the chicken in half lengthwise.
2. Whisk together remaining ingredients. Set aside 1/2 cup of the mixture and refrigerate. Pour the rest of the marinade into a gallon sized Ziploc bag and add the chicken breasts. Refrigerate over night.
3. Grill on a barbecue or on a cast iron grill pan for 12-15 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve with rice and reserved teriyaki mixture.