Bajan Chicken is a dish that hails from, well, Barbados – an island-nation famous for its beautiful white-sand beaches, world-class resorts, and of course, international superstar Rihanna. Funny enough, Rihanna actually has a soup named after her, the official title being Rihanna’s Spicy Bajan
Caribbean Chicken Wings
Chicken Soup. I’ll dig up the link for that before the conclusion of this post.
But Bajan Chicken isn’t the only favorite form of poultry in these parts. I shouldn’t forget to mention Caribbean Chicken, which is generally a spicier meal, but that all depends upon the interpretation of the cook who is preparing it.
For Caribbean Chicken, I’ve read and seen various ingredients that included mango, lime, ginger, rum, coffee, orange juice, pineapple, and jerk sauce.
The recipe below steers clear of the coffee, rum, and the like, but delivers just as much if not more of a tangier punch to the mouth for those of you pining for spice over sugar. Bajan or Caribbean, baked or fried, I found myself loving both of these dishes just as equally. Perhaps you’ll come upon the same conclusion. 😉
Caribbean Chicken. Courtesy of the Food Network.
Caribbean Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup orange juice, fresh
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons jalapeno, seeded, diced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated or chopped ginger
- 1 clove garlic
- Salt and pepper
- 4 chicken breasts, bone and skin on
- Lime wedges
Directions
Puree all ingredients except chicken in food processor. Add marinade and chicken to re-sealable plastic bag, mix thoroughly and let marinate, refrigerated, for 4 to 8 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat grill to high, remove excess marinade from chicken and place on grill. Grill each side of chicken for 3 to 4 minutes then place on a pan and finish in the oven for 15 minutes.
Squeeze a lime wedge over each piece of chicken and serve.
(Recipe courtesy of the Food Network.)
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And as an added extra, here’s the recipe for Bajan Chicken…
Bajan Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 (4-pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces
- 1 tablespoon whole allspice
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, chopped
- 4 scallions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, about 5 limes
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons for frying
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
- Kosher salt
- Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Directions
Rinse and dry the chicken pieces and put them into a shallow glass dish.
Put the allspice, peppercorns, and cinnamon stick into a spicegrinder and grind to a powder. To a full sized blender add the onion, peppers, scallions, garlic, scotch bonnet, thyme, lime juice, olive oil, butter, and ground spices. Blend to a puree; add some water if it is too thick. Pour this over the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 1/2 hour before you cook it.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Put the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large, oven-proof saute pan over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and season it with salt. Brown the chicken on both sides, then place the pan in the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serve garnished with cilantro leaves.
(Recipe courtesy of the Food Network.)
Rihanna's Spicy Bajan Chicken Soup.
Rihanna!
P.S. Here’s the link to Rihanna’s Spicy Bajan Chicken Soup and a complimentary photo of the sultry singer. There’s no way I could leave this out of my post.
Goodies from the Grenadines 