Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Caribbean Sweet Potato Fries

This is one of my favorite grilled chicken dishes.  The seasonings may seem strange, but trust me - it's awesome!  The coating keeps the chicken moist and juicy, and it's not too spicy.  If using chicken breasts, cut them into tender-sized strips so they'll cook faster, since the sugar will make them brown quickly.  I actually prefer using thighs for this recipe.  The Caribbean sweet potato fries compliment the chicken really well, but if you're not sure you'll like it, just season half the fries and use salt on the other half - although you'll wish you'd seasoned all of them!

2 T. canola oil
3 T. brown sugar
1½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. dried thyme
¼ tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or skinless thighs

Stir together oil and seasonings in a medium bowl.  Add chicken to bowl and toss to coat.

Broil:
Heat broiler on high and broil chicken in foil-lined pan for 6 minutes on each side.  (Be aware that broiling sugar can cause smoke and, thus, set off your smoke alarm.  Ask me how I know this...)

Grill:
Grill covered, over medium heat for 6-10 minutes on each side, depending on size of chicken pieces.  Cook bone-in chicken longer.

Caribbean Sweet Potato Fries

1 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. cumin
½ tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of allspice
2 T. canola oil
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
Coarse salt (regular works, too)

Cut each potato in half (or quarters, if they are large).  Cut each half into 3 or 4 long wedges.

Combine oil and first 4 seasonings in a large bowl.  Add potatoes and toss to coat.  Spread in an even layer on foil-lined jellyroll pan.  Sprinkle with salt.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

To top off this tasty meal, serve with grilled pineapple, cooked over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.

Creamy Chicken and Potato Soup

In honor of it officially being soup weather, I decided to experiment and make a creamy chicken and potato soup.  I didn’t have a recipe, so I just made it up as I went along – and it got a thumbs up from the whole family!  Along with the soup, we enjoyed some Onion, Poppy Seed, Cheese Rolls that I made using Pamela’s gluten free bread mix.

5 chicken tenders (or 2 large breasts)
2 large red potatoes, diced
3 T. butter, divided
1 very small onion or 1/2 small onion, chopped
1 c. baby carrots, cut in 1/8 in. slices
1 tsp. minced garlic
3 T. GF flour, like Gluten Free Pantry's flour blend
3 T. Better Than Bouillon broth base (or 6 c. broth)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. parsley
Dash celery salt
1 bay leaf
1/3 c. 1% or 2% milk (I used 1/4 c. 1% milk plus a little cream)
3 T. cornstarch
Fresh ground pepper
Fresh spinach leaves, sliced in thin strips

In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts water to a boil.  Add potatoes and chicken.  Boil 10 – 15 minutes, or until tender.  Pour 2 c. of liquid into a measuring cup, then drain remaining liquid.  Set aside to cool.  (You could probably skip this step and just add the potatoes and diced chicken to your soup when you add the seasonings, but this is how I made it, and I only post recipes I’ve tried.)

In a separate large soup pan, melt 2 T. butter over medium heat.  Saute onions and carrots in butter until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Melt remaining butter in pan and add flour.  Stir to coat veggies.  Immediately add 4 c. water and 2 c. reserved cooking liquid (or 6 c. broth).  Bring to a boil and add bouillon (omit if using broth), salt, parsley, celery salt, and bay leaf.

Shred cooked chicken or cut up into small chunks and add to soup.  Simmer 15 minutes or until carrots are tender. Add potatoes to soup and heat to boiling.  Stir cornstarch into milk and add to soup, stirring until thickened.  Add fresh ground pepper and season to taste.  Remove bay leaf.  Ladle soup into bowls and top with spinach strips.  Serve with crusty bread or Onion, Poppy Seed, Cheese rolls.