Grilling chicken is a simple way to create a low-glycemic meal with a lot of flavor, and it’s perfect for serving guests on a nice summer day. Plus, cleanup’s a snap! The cooking time for this jerk-chicken recipe is short, but you need to marinate the chicken to get the jerk flavor, so prepare the marinade the night before or first thing in the morning — if you can face peeling the chiles that early!
If you have a milder palate, use fewer chiles; If you want more spice, replace the serrano chiles with jalapeño chiles.
Low-Glycemic Grilled Jerk Chicken
Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus refrigerating time
Cooking time: 12 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
3 scallions, chopped
4 large cloves garlic
1 small onion, chopped
2 to 4 serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise
Nonstick cooking spray
Blend the scallions, garlic, onions, chiles, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, brown sugar, thyme, coriander, nutmeg, allspice, salt, black pepper, and cinnamon in a blender until smooth.
Divide the chicken and marinade between 2 sealable plastic bags. Seal the bags, pressing out the excess air; turn the bags over several times to cover the chicken evenly with the marinade. Put the bags of chicken in a shallow pan and refrigerate for 8 to 9 hours, turning the bags over once or twice.
Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the marinade.
Spray the grill with nonstick cooking spray and heat it to medium. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 6 minutes on each side. Serve warm.
Per serving: Calories 174 (From Fat 56); Glycemic Load 2 (Low); Fat 6g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 63mg; Sodium 172mg; Carbohydrate 6g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 23g.