Jerk Chicken Bowls

I get food cravings.

The mood will strike and I won't want to do anything until I eat a jalapeño chip or a clementine or drink a chocolate milkshake. It's like I'm Stanley from The Office and every day of my life is Pretzel Day. Except instead of pretzels it's just whatever I'm in the mood for at the moment. What an exciting life I lead!

SOMETIMES the jerk chicken mood strikes and all I can think about is eating that sweet, tangy, ultra spiced, hot-and-smokey chicken. There is nothing in the world quite like jerk chicken, and nothing that can satisfy a jerk chicken craving other than jerk chicken.

Just a heads up - this jerk chicken marinade is a long one. Be prepared to use 90% of the things in your spice cabinet. IT WILL BE WORTH IT. (Also, if you are wanting to make jerk chicken a regular part of your life and don't want to go through making this marinade every time, you can triple or quadruple this recipe and freeze until you're ready to use.)

We like to use boneless/skinless chicken breasts/thighs for ease-of-eating. Ideally your grill master will cook your spicy marinated jerk chicken pieces to perfection over a well-tended fire, but just in case they're indisposed/don't want to brave a snowstorm/otherwise occupied, the directions below are for oven-roasting on a sheet pan.

Oh and after the chicken is roasted, pineapple chunks and sweet peppers and onions go on the pan to get charred up and caramelized in all the jerky chicken juices.

And then the chicken gets sliced and put on rice with the pineapples and peppers and onions and everything gets slathered in cilantro-garlic sauce. YUM!

These black beans are also super good in these jerk chicken bowls!

Marinade adapted from Food and Wine.