This stuff is great but I’d never had it before I made it, and the flavor profile is weird. It’s mainly allspice, thyme, and HEAT. It’s delicious, but kind of weird, so if you haven’t had this before and if you aren’t sure if you would like it, give it a miss. Make the chicken tacos instead.
Also, I didn’t make this the traditional way. In general, you would marinate this and then grill it until it’s done. I don’t have a grill, so I baked it in the oven with the marinade, then reduced what was left over down to a sauce in case people wanted more flavor. Worked out great, and it has the benefit that if you do it this way, people can add more sauce as they want more heat.
Ingredients
3 scotch bonnets/habaneros (yeah, it’s a lot, but it’s supposed to burn your face off)
1 bunch scallions (about 6), chopped, roots and tops removed
1 tablespoon allspice berries, ground
1 tablespoon black pepper, ground
1 tablespoon five spice powder
2 teaspoons dried thyme
8-10 cloves garlic
2-3 inches ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg/ 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg from a jar (it’s not as potent if you don’t grind it yourself)
juice from 3-4 limes
1/4 cup oil (vegetable oil, olive oil, it doesn’t make a difference)
2-3 teaspoons salt (maybe more, I’m kind of guessing on that one. I just kind of added some in)
2-3 pounds chicken (I used thighs, I imagine anything would work)
Directions:
Take everything except the chicken and throw it in a food processor. Grind everything up in to a marinade. Put the chicken in a bag and pour the marinade over it. Massage the chicken until it’s coated. Seal the bag and let it marinate overnight.
Once you’re ready to cook, pour the contents of the bag in to a baking dish, cover it with foil, and set your over to 350. Once it’s hot, throw that chicken in and let it bake for an hour or two, until the chicken temps right. The good news is that since there’s so much liquid in the marinade, you don’t really have to worry about the chicken drying out, it should stay moist.
Once the chicken is done, remove the pieces from the baking dish, and pour the liquid that is left in to a saucepan. Reduce on low/medium-low heat until it has a really thick consistency. Serve with yellow rice, callaloo, friend plantains, or whatever else you want.
eatbensmeat 