Jerk Chicken with Jalapeno-Mint Glaze & Mango Salsa

Tonight I wanted to be adventurous. REALLY ADVENTUROUS. Last night, I defrosted some chicken breast so I searched online for a new chicken recipe (something EVERYONE needs, right?). I found Bobby Flay's Jerk Chicken recipe, and adjusted it to my tastes and the ingredients I could get my hands on.

Let me warn you--this dinner is a little overwhelming if you think you're gonna be able to do everything at the same time. Just take it one step at a time, and in no time you'll have a delicious, Bobby Flay-worthy meal:)

First, we're going to make the jerk rub and let the chicken marinate. Then we're going to cut up the fruits and veggies for the salsa. After that, we'll make the glaze. Lastly, we'll grill the chicken and voila! Sounds easier now, right?

Jerk-Rub:
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (this is VERY spicy, go easy on the cayenne if you can't take the heat)
2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
2 teaspoons dry thyme
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix everything together in a small bowl. This recipe makes enough for a LOT of chicken, so you may want to half it if you aren't feeding a crowd, or don't have any space to save the extra for later.

I made this with 4 chicken thighs and 1 large chicken breast, so we can have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Sprinkle the chicken with the seasoning mixture on the chicken, and let sit while you make the salsa.


Mango Salsa:
1 mango diced
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup lime juice
1-2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt & pepper

Okay, so I'll admit it, when I made this today, I had NO IDEA how to cut a mango, so my dice was a little dicey (ha!). But, you can scroll through this page, and learn how to cut a mango before you try it on your own.

Cut all the fruit and veggies. You want to be extra careful about cutting the onions and jalapeno peppers really small, because you don't want anyone to bite into a big chunk of onion or jalapeno pepper. For the jalapeno, cut off the top, then slice in half. Take out the seeds and the ribs (the little white parts on the inside) because that's where most of the heat lives. If you like it spicy, feel free to leave the seeds and/or ribs in. Next, slice the two halves into small slivers long-wise. You want it to look like little green matchsticks.

Once you have your matchsticks, line them all up and and cut crosswise into small pieces.

Because I didn't want the salsa to be too runny, I took the seeds out of the tomatoes. First, slice your tomato, and then take the seeds out slice by slice. Line up your slices and cut the slices into a dice.

Mix all the veggies together, then add the salt, pepper, honey, lime juice and olive oil.

Roughly chop the cilantro, add in and mix. Taste, then adjust the seasonings if needed-more honey, lime juice, salt or pepper. Set aside until you're finished grilling the chicken.


Now, let's move onto the glaze. I know you're thinking "glaze...sounds hard, complicated, I don't think I can do that!"... well, it's not that hard, nor complicated, and you can totally do it if you can boil water.

Jalapeno-Glaze
1 jalapeno, seeded and cut into chunks
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup mint leaves

In a small pot, add the vinegars and jalapeno and bring to a boil.

Add the sugar, and cook over medium heat, at a boil, until the mixture has reduced to about half. Let cool for a few minutes. After cooling, pour the vinegar mixture into the blender or food processor and add the mint.

Blend until smooth, and finish letting the mixture cool. We're gonna use it when we grill the chicken.

Now, it's time to grill the chicken. A lot of people are afraid of cooking chicken because of the big bad salmonella. And if you overcook chicken it turns dry and not so delicious. So, it's a delicate balance. Luckily, with the glazing of the chicken while cooking, you have a little more leeway when cooking the chicken in this recipe. Turn on your grill, I don't have an outdoor grill, so I use a grill pan that goes on my burners. But if you don't have an outdoor grill or grill pan, you can use a skillet or even the oven too. Ger your grill super hot, and put the chicken on to sear.

After a few minutes, you'll start to see grill marks on the chicken, and it's time to turn it over. After you turn it, put the glaze on the cooked side. Keep turning the chicken and using the glaze.

It'll start to caramelize and look REALLY yummy. If you're unsure when to take it off, get yourself a meat thermometer, and check out this really informative meat-temperature cooking webpage. When you think your chicken is done, stick in the thermometer and check if the internal temperature is at 165. If it is, take it off, if not, leave it on for a little longer. Cooking meat by temperature is a foolproof way to make sure it's perfectly cooked every time. When you finally take the chicken off, glaze it one more time and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

Serve the chicken with the mango salsa. Delish! Ryan and I LOVED this, and will definitely make it again. You'll love it too! Doesn't it look delicious??