“Wah gwaan” everyone, we are back and settling in from a fantastic week on the island of Jamaica.

It was our first time visiting JA, and needless to say, we had a fabulous time.  We sat on the beach, waded into the Carribean, ventured into the hills to pay our respects to a musical legend, and swam with dolphins.

But most of all we ate!

We stayed at an all inclusive resort called The Grand Palladium.  A beautiful establishment which boasts 10 different resturants varying from Indian, Asian, Mexican, and Seafood cuisine…just to name a few.

But to my surprise, one of the most delicious meals we had on this lush island (filled with so many sights and sounds and exotic flavors) was actually – on the side of the road.

In Negril, outside of the very popular eatery Rick’s Cafe, we ran across a very unassuming set up in a most unlikely place.  A couple of guys had a smoker and were busy fixing up authentic Jamaican Jerk Chicken.

Hot thick smoke filled the air from the grill, while cars whizzed by on the narrow road we were standing mere inches away from.  But there we stayed, braving it all to enjoy some of the most flavorful chicken we’d ever tasted.

It was so good that I was inspired to try and make it myself once we returned stateside.

I don’t have a smoker, so I chose to bake the chicken.  Since the guys from Seasoned To The Bone, weren’t about to give up any of their jerk secrets (and I did ask), I used this recipe for Baked Jerk Chicken at AllRecipes.com.

The recipe calls for the the following ingredients, but you’ll find the actual cooking instructions by clicking the link above.

• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

• 1 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

• 1 (2 to 3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

 

This is a very easy dish to make – No Problem.  I’ve got to admit though, it was not the same as in Jamaica…but everything was irie none-the-less.

Ya mon!

The results are in, and here is what the folks had to say about their meal:

Rachael – “It’s okay…for your first attempt.”

Marley – “It’s in the middle.”

Delaney – “Yeah, it’s in the middle.  Kinda good, kinda not.”

Journey – “I don’t like Jerk Chicken.” (As she pushes her plate away)

MB