Jerk Chicken

Jerk Chicken
The Soul of a New Cuisine by Marcus Samuelsson

From the book: "I have friends from all over the world and when we get together we often have a potluck meal, with everyone bringing a favorite dish from home. My Jamaican friend Donnovan always brings a mean jerk chicken, which is so spicy sometimes you can't eat more than a bite. I toned down the heat in this version, but it still has a really great well-balanced spicing that is characteristic of jerk dishes."

While not salt-free, you end up using a total of ½ teaspoon of salt in a dish that is meant for 8 servings, so I should think it would definitely qualify as low-salt.Like the Chicken Mofongo, this recipe calls for boiling the vegetables in salted water - I leave that to your discretion.

One 3-4 pound chicken
½ cup Jerk Mix (recipe below)
2 thyme sprigs, cut in half
½ head garlic, top third cut off and paper skin removed
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium parsnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 medium Spanish onion, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pear, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 quince, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch cubes


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using your hand, gently loosen the skin of the chicken breast. Generously rub half of the jerk mix under and all over the breast skin. Stuff half the thyme under the skin. Put the garlic in the cavity of the chicken. Truss the chicken. Set aside on a plate. 


Combine the Yukon Gold potatoes, sweet potato and parsnip in a large pot and add enough salted water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for about 10 minutes, until just slightly tender. Drain.


Toss the potatoes, sweet potato, parsnip and onion with the remaining jerk mix, then spread the vegetables in a single layer in a roasting pan. Add the remaining thyme. Place the chicken on a roasting rack above the vegetables, and roast for 45 minutes.


Add the pear and quince to the roasting pan, increase the oven temperature to 375°F, and roast for an additional 30 to 40 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 160°F and the juices run clear. Serve with Yogurt Dip (recipe below). Makes 8 servings.




Jerk Mix

From the book: "Featuring notes of cinnamon, thyme, and ginger, this Jamaican-inspired rub is an excellent seasoning for chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, or firm white fish. Most Jamaican chefs grind the spices by hand in a mortar and pestle, a technique I recommend to retain the spices' natural, aromatic oils. I also suggest toasting the spices first, which enhances and mellows their flavor. If you have only ground spices on hand it's perfectly fine to use them, but the flavors won't be as intense."

2 T olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeño chilies, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
1 T ground allspice
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t cayenne pepper
2 T brown sugar
1 t white pepper
1 T dried thyme
1 t salt
1 t ground ginger
4 scallions, trimmed and chopped
½ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup red wine vinegar

Heat the oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the garlic and jalapeños and sauté until the garlic just starts to color, about 3 minutes. Add the allspice, cinnamon, cayenne, and brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and the miture starts to clump together. Removed from the heat and let cool slightly.

Transfer the mixture to a blender. Add the white pepper, thyme, salt, ginger, scallions, lime juice, and red wine vinegar and blend until smooth.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Makes 1 cup.

 Yogurt Dip

This calls for salt at your discretion, but I suspect you could get away with not using any.

3 cups plain yogurt
2 T olive oil 
2 garlic cloves, peeled
One 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 jalapeño chili, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
½ t ground coriander
½ t ground cumin
Juice of 2 limes
2 t chopped cilantro
2 t chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper


Set a fine-mesh sieve or colander lined with cheesecloth over a bowl. Add the yogurt, cover with plastic wrap, and let drain at room temperature for 2-3 hours, or refrigerate overnight.


Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and jalapeño and sauté until the garlic is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the coriander and cumin and sauté ntil fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let cool briefly, then tranfer to a blender, add the lime juice and drained yogurt, and blend until smooth.


Transfer to a bowl and fold in the cilantro and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.


Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Makes 1½ cups.