If it can’t be hot outside, lets heat things up in the kitchen! Today I bring to you (my variation of) JERK! Jerk sauce is a traditional Jamaican marinade that boasts big ,bold and spicy flavours. It’s so delicious and adds so much body to whatever you’re cooking it with. This is a recipe I’ve been playing around with lately and it’s become my “go-to” marinade of choice especially when I’m making chicken. Clearly this isn’t the traditional way of making this amazing sauce, but I’ve tweaked it a bit and snuck in some healthier ingredients without compromising the taste. Now jerk sauce isn’t limited to only chicken, or meat for that matter. Try marinading sprouted tofu or tempeh in it. Or tossing potatoes in the marinade before roasting. When you are marinating your protein of choice, the longer the better! Play around with the marinade and get cooking!
Recipe:
This recipe will make approximately 2 cups of marinade
- 1-3 scotch bonnet peppers depending on how spicy you’d like it
- 2 bunches of green onions
- 2 bunches of thyme, stems and leaves (if buying in plastic box, 1 box should have enough)
- juice of 1 orange
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup wheat free tamari
- 1/4 cup+ 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp honey
- small splash of molasses (optional)
Instructions
Remove stems from green onions and peppers and cut into smaller pieces (may not be necessary if you have a vitamix or hi powered blender). Place all ingredients in blender and mix until smooth. Store extra in a glass jar in the fridge for later use!
** Roast a whole chicken! Just make sure all of the surfaces have a coat of marinade and stuff some fresh thyme and lemon into it’s cavity for extra flavour. Let bird marinate for at least an hour. Pre-heat oven to 450 F and then turn oven down to about 400-425F (depending on oven) and pop chicken in. Let cook for approx. 1 hour and 25 minutes. This is for a 3-4 lb chicken. 🙂
Did you know that thyme is SUPER good for you? It’s rich in thymol which is a volatile oil that keeps your cells in good health and in turn keeps you in good health! It’s rich in antioxidants and is also an antimicrobial which means it can fight off harmful bacteria, fungi and parasite that can compromise your immune system.
