Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa, Honey Cilantro Rice, and Guacamole 7.6

My sister and brother-in-law came over for dinner on Monday night, so I decided to try out a new recipe. I’ve been wanting to try Jamaican Jerk chicken for the last week or so, and I found a delicious-looking recipe online that had mango salsa as a garnish. And, not surprisingly, it’s another Cooking Light recipe. I’ve been having good luck, so why not try another? Chips and guacamole seemed like a good side, and Winifred and Jarad suggested we spruce up rice with some honey and cilantro. Everything tasted great, especially the chicken! The rice was a little on the sticky side, so maybe we’d use a little less honey next time. Or maybe not, since it tasted good.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa

Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa

See original recipe from Cooking Light Magazine

Notes:

• Jamaican jerk seasoning isn’t always easy to find, and it might not be something you use that often, so I’d suggest looking for it in the bulk spice section, first, so you only have to get a little. My HEB had it in bulk, but not in a bottle on the spice aisle. Strange.
• I couldn’t find jars or cans of pre-peeled and pre-cut mango anywhere, so I ended up having to buy fresh mango. Two mangos were plenty, but I’d suggest you look up advice for buying ripe mangos before grocery shopping, because one out of the three I bought was WAY too hard, while the other two were perfect. On the outside, they didn’t seem all that different to me. I am not a mango connoseiur.
• This recipe isn’t very complicated, but it does involve a lot of chopping, so be prepared and have a good knife on hand!
• I don’t use cooking spray very much, so I cooked my chicken in olive oil.

Honey Cilantro Rice

from Winifred and Jarad

Honey Cilantro Rice

Ingredients: rice, chopped cilantro, honey

1. Cook rice as directed in package instructions.
2. Chop about 1/4 C of cilantro for every 2 C of rice cooked.
3. When rice is nearly done cooking, mix in chopped cilantro and honey. It’s best to add these gradually and taste the rice along the way, since each person’s preference will differ.

Guacamole

Guacamole

See original recipe from avocado.org

Notes:

• If you like tomatoes, add more tomato than the recipe calls for.
• Again, you’ll probably want to taste the guacamole along the way, because you might find you need more or less lime juice, salt, cumin, etc., than the recipe calls for, depending on your preference.
• The recipe doesn’t call for garlic powder, but adding just a little will vary up the flavor of the guacamole a little bit.