Caribbean Chicken over Coconut Rice

This is a simple recipe from a book that was put out by Herb-Ox (Hormel Foods chicken bouillon).  I modified it based on the ingredients that I had available.  I am posting the original recipe, and you can read about my changes below. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup white rice
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon Herb-Ox® Chicken Instant Powder
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon Jamaican jerk seasoning blend
1 teaspoon grated orange peel

In medium saucepan, stir together water, rice, coconut milk and 2 teaspoons bouillon over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; cook 25 to 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in orange peel.

Meanwhile, prepare grill for medium heat. Rinse chicken breasts; pat dry.

In small bowl, combine remaining 1 teaspoon bouillon and the jerk seasoning. Rub both sides of chicken breasts with seasoning mixture.

Grill chicken, turning once, 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Serve chicken over rice.


Substitutions/Changes:
- Instead of orange peel, squeeze the juice from half a lime over the rice before covering.
- When chicken is finished grilling, chop it into smaller pieces and toss with a Tbsp of rum, 1/2 tsp jerk seasoning, 1/2 tsp brown sugar and juice from 1/2 a lime. Stir until coated and then return to the hot skillet until the edges of the chicken are crispy.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro.


For this recipe, the orange is a very unique flavor.  If you want, you can squeeze the orange juice over the chicken as you grill it and add another 1/2 tsp of the jerk seasoning. I love bold flavors, and this recipe was a little on the weak side for me as originally written.

The first time I made this recipe, I didn't have an orange, but I did have two limes and some cilantro (pictured above).  Now that I have tried this recipe both ways, I realize that the orange flavor complements the jerk seasoning in an entirely different way than the lime and cilantro.   I enjoy both versions of this recipe for very different reasons.  The sweetness of the orange is something entirely different than the sour and fresh taste of the lime and cilantro.

When I made this recipe for the first time, I cooked the rice with a squeeze of lime juice instead of the orange peel.  I also squeezed the lime juice into the chicken as I grilled it.  I grilled the chicken in a skillet and then chopped it into smaller pieces.  I tossed those pieces with more jerk seasoning, lime juice, brown sugar, and a tablespoon of rum.  Then I returned them to the hot skillet until the edges of the chicken were crispy.  The combination of the lime and rum with the coconut rice was absolutely amazing!

This is a quick and easy meal option that you can serve with black beans, sliced mango, or any number of tropical side dishes.