Jacked Up Jerk by: Thistletown CI

This Caribbean inspired rice and beans dish has been modernized and refreshed with healthy ingredients. The spicy sweet flavours and colours of the dish will appeal to young cafeteria goers. There are 4 components to the dish but they are all easy to prepare. This recipe won first place in the 2014 Wrap Up With Rice contest.

Jacked Up Jerk




Yield
Makes 4 servings.


Ingredients

Rice

  • ¼ cup (50 mL) carrot, celery, onion, and rainbow Swiss chard stalks (finely diced)
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
  • 2 cups (500 mL) U.S. long grain brown rice
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) thyme leaves
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) Scotch bonnet peppers, diced
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 1/2 cups (875 mL) vegetable stock
  • 10 oz can coconut milk
  • 4 oz can kidney beans

Mango Salsa

  • 1 cup (250 mL) mango, diced
  • ¼ cup (50 mL) red onion, diced
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh cilantro, diced
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) salt
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) black pepper
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) finely diced Scotch bonnet pepper
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) canola oil
  •   juice of a ½ lime

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

  • 2 red peppers (large)
  • ¼ Scotch bonnet pepper
  • 2 peeled garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) black pepper
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
  • ½ cup (125 mL) vegetable stock

For the Chicken

  • 12 chicken fillets (also called chicken tenders) approximately 16oz. (cut up chicken breast can be substituted)
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) ‘Grace Jerk Seasoning’
  • 6 large leaves of Swiss Chard (stalks removed and used in rice component)
  • ½ cup (125 mL) vegetable stock for braising

Directions

Rice

  1. Sweat vegetables over high heat with canola oil in saucepan
  2. Add rice and seasonings, stir to coat evenly with vegetable and oil mixture
  3. Add stock, coconut milk, kidney beans (not drained)
  4. Bring to a boil, turn to a simmer and cover
  5. Stir regularly until desired doneness (approx. 40 minutes)

Mango Salsa

  1. Mix all Ingredients in bowl together and let sit at least 20 minutes before serving

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

  1. Score the bottom of the red peppers with an X
  2. On a cookie sheet, combine the peppers, garlic, salt, pepper and canola oil, rub ingredients so they are all coated with oil & seasoning
  3. Roast in a 400 F oven for 20 to 25 minutes (until skin looks ‘blistered’ and garlic is golden brown)
  4. Place hot ingredients in a small bowl and cover with cling film. Let rest 20 minutes.
  5. Peel skin off of peppers and discard, remove seeds. Place your peppers and garlic in a small saucepan with vegetable stock
  6. Bring to a boil, puree and serve hot

For the Chicken

  1. Rub chicken filets with jerk seasoning
  2. Split the large Chard leaves in half, use halved leaves to wrap each chicken filet like a present
  3. Place fillets seam side down on a small baking sheet, add vegetable stock, cover with foil and bake in a 350 F oven for 8-10 minutes (Bake when rice is in the last stages of being cooked)

To the Plate

  1. Place ¾ cup of the cooked rice mixture in the middle of the plate.
  2. Cut chicken pieces on a bias and adorn the sides of the rice and kidney beans pile
  3. Pour the roasted red pepper sauce around the base of the rice
  4. Top the rice with the mango salsa mixture.