Coconut Curry Chicken

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 t cayenne
1 T vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 t coriander
1 T fresh ginger, grated
1/2 t turmeric
1 t curry powder
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 C rice, cooked
1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste


In a small bowl, mix chicken, lemon juice, cayenne, salt and pepper together and set in fridge. In a medium pan, cook onion and garlic in vegetable oil until onions are translucent. Add coriander, ginger, turmeric, and curry to pot. Add diced tomatoes (with the juice) and coconut milk to mixture. Add chicken to pot and cook 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Serve over cooked rice and top with fresh cilantro.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 C cooked shredded chicken
4 C chicken stock
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 T tomato paste
1 can tomatoes with green chilies
2 cans black beans
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper to taste

In a stock pot, cook onion, garlic, and bell peppers in oil until soft. Add chicken, tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, and spices. Add stock and simmer for 20-30 min.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, lime, and/or jalapeños. I also serve with tortilla chips (I fry my own using vegetable oil and corn tortillas).

I've also made this with turkey (and homemade turkey stock), and it was awesome.

Jamaica's Thai Chicken and Rice

An attempt at an adaption of Nong's Kao Man Gai Chicken and Rice. Not nearly as good, but still decent.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T vegetable oil
1 C brown or white rice
1 palm size fresh ginger root
2 heads garlic
1/3 C lite soy sauce
1/3 C white vinegar
5-10 small red hot chilis
1/2 C peanuts (optional)
cilantro (optional)
lime (optional)

Boil rice in water per package directions. Mince one head of garlic (4-5 cloves) and half of the ginger root. Add to a large skillet along with vegetable oil and heat on medium. While oil is heating, dice chicken into bite size cubes. Add to skillet and brown, stirring frequently. While chicken is cooking, make sauce by combining soy sauce, vinegar, remaining minced garlic and minced ginger. Minced chilis can be added to the sauce directly or served on the side. Add peanuts to chicken during last few minutes of cooking. Serve rice on a platter with the chicken on the top. Serve the sauce on the side, along with chilis, cilantro, and lime.

SUBSTITUTE: I recently made this using a whole chicken and it turned out really well. I roasted the chicken for a few hours, let it cool, and pulled the meat off the bone. I reheated the meat in a little bit of vegetable oil in a skillet along with some garlic and peanuts. The mixture of white and dark meat really enhanced the flavor. I also fried up the skin from the chicken and served it on the side. It gave the dish a nice crunch.

Jamaica's Choriqueso

5-6 oz chorizo
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1 can tomatoes with green chilies

Preheat oven to 425. In a saucepan, brown chorizo. Add onion and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes until softened. Add tomatoes and scrape all the yummy bits from the pan. Grease a loaf pan and add half the cheese. Top with half of the chorizo mixture. Repeat. Bake 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve with chips or tortillas.

Sriracha Ramen

1 block of ramen noodles (noodles only not the seasoning pack)
1 C stock
1/2 C frozen vegetables (green beans, edamame, carrots, corn, and/or peas recommended)
1 T Sriracha (more or less to taste)

Boil stock in a small pot. Add noodles (NOT the seasoning pack) and vegetables. Cook 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally until noodles are the desired consistency.

Jamaica Sliders

1 lb ground chuck
1 package Hawaiian sweet rolls
1/2 sweet onion, diced
6 slices cheese
pickle slices
salt and pepper

Flatten ground chuck into 3-4 large patties, as thin as possible. Cook in a large frying pan with onion until well done. Slice package of rolls in half to make one large sandwich. On bottom section of rolls, cover with pickle slices, then cheese slices. Add cooked beef patties and onions. Put the top back on the rolls. Serve as one large sandwich, cutting off smaller sliders when serving.

Jamaica's Chicken French Dip Sandwiches

A quick, easy, and healthier alternative to traditional French dip sandwiches, these are on the menu at our house at least once a month. We typically pair with a chopped salad. Roast beef can easily be substituted for chicken and beef broth for chicken broth.

1 loaf French bread
8 slices of chicken deli meat (sliced medium)
4 thin slices of extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 t olive oil
1 can low sodium chicken broth
1/2 onion, diced
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice baguette length-wise, then into four equal sandwich pieces. Lay all pieces open face on a ungreased baking sheet. On each piece, layer a slice of chicken and half a slice of cheese. Put in oven and bake until cheese starts to turn brown on the edges.

In a small saucepan over low heat, mix the olive oil, onion, and a little salt and pepper. After a couple minutes, once the onion has started to turn clear and aromatic, pour in the chicken broth. Simmer over low heat until hot. Pour into small containers for dipping.