I am only now just realizing this, but this week has really been all about grilling and Memorial Day recipes. Which I guess is fitting, seeing as Memorial Day is Monday. Truthfully, I tend to steer clear of recipes for the grill because our grilling season here is super short. Not to mention that our nights are pretty cold. Did you know there are only about 30 frost free days per year here? Anyway, I still love to embrace the warmer months and create a handful of delicious grill recipes…mostly with all of you in mind. Plus, we always travel back to Ohio to visit with family in the summer (hot midwest summer are the best!). Cleveland (and most of the country), has perfect grilling weather, and is where I put recipes like this to use! Enter in this tropical jerk grilled chicken. It’s 100% inspired by my trip the Caribbean last summer. While traveling around through the different islands, we ate a lot of jerked dishes. Everything from chicken, to seafood, and even a really unique jerk chicken burrito. A lot of the dishes we enjoyed were heavily seasoned with fresh thyme and heat from chili peppers. I remember thinking that I had to recreate those flavors once I returned home, they were so delicious. Of course, the summer got away from me, and I never got a chance to make a good jerk chicken. So I’m excited to finally being sharing this recipe today. The flavors take me back to our time in the Caribbean sun. They also get me so excited for our upcoming trip Costa Rica this summer! Desperately craving warmth and sunshine right now! My mom has been sending me photos of very snowy Colorado. I have to say, I am so glad to be in LA this week. Kind of crazy that I’m talking about summer and snow within the same post, huh? I love that this chicken brings back so many good memories of my family’s time in the Caribbean last summer. It’s always fun when a recipe is not only delicious, but has special memories attached to it as well!! If you’re new to jerk chicken, it’s a Caribbean dish often made on the islands of Jamaica. They use a lot of unique spices that I wouldn’t normally think to toss on chicken. But I found them to be incredibly delicious and such a nice change from your average, everyday grilled chicken. I will say that my jerk chicken probably is not the most traditional, but it’s my own adaption of the dish! I like to add plenty of garlic and fresh thyme, lots of lime, and include key spices like cinnamon, all-spice, and cayenne pepper. The cinnamon and all-spice really tame the chicken and give it a nice warmth and delicious flavor. With the first bite you’ll be a bit surprised by the flavor…but in the best way possible…it’s delicious. Me being me, I of course like to take things a step further. I simply can’t resist, I guess it’s just what I do. So, in comes the charred mango salsa verde. Honestly? This is my favorite element to this recipe, so please, please, please, do not skip it. It’s sweet, spicy, a touch salty, and takes the jerk chicken from great to something really pretty, exciting, and beyond good. My secret? I add an extra layer of flavor by charring the lemons, shallots, and mangos I use in the salsa verde. Yes, this is an extra step. But since we already have food on the grill, it really only takes a minute or two longer. And the added flavor is so worth it. I use the entire lemon, peel and all, which I know might sound really odd. But because we are charring the lemon, it really mellows out the bitterness, thus creating a sweet and juicy citrus punch with each and every bite. I like to pair the lemons with plenty of mango chunks and fresh herbs, making the salsa especially delicious. The perfect topping for a jerk chicken, which is otherwise colorless when coming off the grill. I’d recommend serving this with your favorite steamed rice or even yesterday’s potato pesto salad. An equally great recipe to serve up on a busy weeknight, or for a relaxing weekend of BBQ’ing. If you make this Tropical Jerk Grilled Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
