Low Carb Jerk Chicken Thighs with Coconut Rice
Jerk-style cooking is made with a blend of simple flavors that, together, create a complex mix of spicy, sweet, savory, and salty. The ingredient list may be long, but all of the ingredients are likely already in your kitchen cabinets! This jerk chicken meal is paired with a coconut-flavored “rice” mix that’s creamy and happens to be excellent at combatting the heat from the jerk spices.
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, first amounts of salt and pepper, onion powder, garlic, thyme, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, paprika, and cayenne. Mince the serrano pepper and mix this in the bowl as well.
Step 2
Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl. You can remove any skin or fat that you don’t want, but leaving them as is will develop the best flavor. Pour the jerk mixture over the chicken, and begin rubbing it into the meat. Continually toss and rub the chicken until they are completely coated in spices.
Step 3
Prepare a pan that isn’t much larger than the chicken thighs with pan spray. Place the chicken thighs in the pan, and pour any leftover spices and oil over the thighs.
Step 4
Bake the chicken thighs for 60 minutes, and spoon or brush the liquids in the pan over the chicken thighs about 30 minutes in. This will add extra flavor and help develop a crispy skin.
Step 5
When the baking time is near done, begin making the coconut “rice”. Place the cauliflower rice in a medium sized pot, and cook it on high heat until the cauliflower gets slightly browned and golden.
Step 6
Reduce the heat to medium-low, and stir in the butter and coconut milk.
Step 7
Cover the pot, and allow the rice to simmer for 6-7 minutes or until the rice has soaked up almost all the liquid.
Step 8
Turn off the heat, and quickly stir in the remaining ingredients. For serving, each person should get one chicken thigh and about a ¼ cup to ⅓ cup of rice (the amount of rice reduces in size from the cooking).
Ingredients
- Olive Oil ½ cup
- Lime Juice, Fresh ½ each – juice from one lime
- Salt 1 teaspoon
- Black Pepper, Ground 1 teaspoon
- Onion Powder 0.25 teaspoon
- Garlic, Powder 0.25 teaspoon
- Thyme, Dried 0.25 teaspoon
- Cinnamon, Ground 0.5 teaspoon
- Allspice, Ground 0.5 teaspoon
- Spices Nutmeg Ground ¼ tsp
- Paprika 0.5 teaspoon