Baked Jerk Chicken with Coconut Rice & Cinnamon Sweet Plantains

A recipe from the classic PaleOMG blog. I've had this one saved to try for a while now, but I keep forgetting to buy plantains ahead of time so that they have time to brown. If you want to make this recipe next week then go to the store today and buy some plantains! Also, the recipe calls for marinating the chicken for 24 hours, so be mindful of that too if you choose to make this. It's never fun when you print off a recipe and start preparing everything just to find out in the directions that the meat was supposed to be marinating for a day. Anyways, this meal was absolutely amazing! The coconut rice did not have an overpowering coconut taste to me, but I also only used 3 Tbsp of unsweetened coconut flakes and a light coconut milk. I only made a few other changes to the ingredient servings and I indicated those in parenthesis below. The original recipe also has a recipe for making Tomatillo Coconut Guacamole to pair with this meal if you want to check that out (link below). I did not opt for that this time. The last note I have is to make sure you keep an eye on the plantains while in the sauté pan, so they do not burn. My first batch may or may not have been burned a little. Hope you enjoy this one!

Baked Jerk Chicken with Coconut Rice & Cinnamon Sweet Plantains
Ingredients:

• 1½ pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used closer to 2lbs)

Marinade:

• ¼ white onion, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 jalapeños (remove seeds for less spice)
• 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• couple pinches of salt

Coconut Rice:

• 1 head cauliflower, stem removed, roughly chopped (I used two 1lb frozen bags)
• ⅓ cup canned coconut milk
• ¼ cup Unsweetended Shredded Coconut (I used 3 Tbsp instead)
• 1 tablespoon Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• pinch of salt

Cinnamon Sweet Plantains:

• ½ cup coconut oil or ghee
• 3 ripe (brown) plantains, peeled and sliced at an angle into 1 inch slices (I just used 2 plantains)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• healthy pinch of salt

For garnishing:

• green onions, sliced
• lime wedges

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients for the marinade in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour marinade into a bowl, add chicken and coat then place in the fridge for 24+ hours.
2. Before cooking the chicken make the coconut rice and keep under low heat to keep warm. (See instructions for rice below.)
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add chicken to a cast iron skillet and pour the marinade on top. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees or until juices run clear. Let rest for a couple minutes before slicing.
4. While the chicken cooks, place coconut oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. You need enough fat to cover the plantains about halfway. Once the oil is hot (water sizzles on top when added), sprinkle the plantains with cinnamon and a bit of salt and cook for about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown on both side. You may need to cook them in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
5. Serve dish of coconut rice, sliced chicken, plantains, guacamole and garnish with lime and green onions.

Coconut Rice Directions:

1. First add your chopped cauliflower to your food processor with the shredding attachment to "rice" the cauliflower.
2. Pull a large pot, place over medium heat, and add a tablespoon of coconut oil then add your cauliflower. Add a pinch of salt, then cover to help steam, mixing occasionally.
3. Then add your other ingredients for your coconut rice and cover to cook down. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn!
4. Let the rice cook for about 5-8 minutes until coconut milk has evaporated and you have sticky rice.

Original recipe found here