Pineapple-Stuffed Jerk Chicken with Mango-Cilantro Relish

There is a lot of flavor packed in this easy chicken recipe. The stuffing was phenomenal- it possessed clean, bright, and sweet flavors with every bite, and complimented the mildly-spiced chicken. I felt that the chicken was a little bland (despite the spice mixture), so I basted it once with Lawry's Caribbean Jerk marinade in the last 5 minutes of cooking, and it gave it the depth of flavor it needed to make this dish complete. I didn't want to overly-spice the chicken as the pineapple stuffing and mango-cilantro relish were the main stars of this dish. The mango-cilantro relish was AMAZING. This recipe can be easily adapted to the grill. Loved it!

Ingredients:
Caribbean Jerk spice mixture:
2 Tbsp dried thyme
2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp Coarse salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Pineapple stuffing:
2 cans (20 ounces each) pineapple chunks in juice, drained
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (1 lime)
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp sugar
Coarse salt and pepper

Caribbean chicken:
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
Cooked rice, for serving (We served this with Cilantro-Lime Rice)
Lawry's Caribbean Jerk marinade (for basting)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil.
2. For the spice mixture: In a small bowl, combine thyme, allspice, cayenne pepper, sugar, coarse salt, and pepper; set spice mixture aside.


3. For the stuffing mixture: In a medium bowl, stir together pineapple, lime juice, scallions, and sugar. Season stuffing with salt and pepper, and set aside.
4. Lay chicken flat on a work surface. With a paring knife, cut a 2-inch-long slit in the thick side of each breast; insert knife, and pivot inside chicken without enlarging opening, carefully forming a deep pocket (make sure not to pierce the opposite side).
5. Dividing evenly, tightly pack each breast with the pineapple stuffing, sprinkle with spice mixture, and baste exterior with marinade.


6. Arrange chicken on the foil-lined baking sheet.
7. Bake until chicken is opaque throughout and an instant-read thermometer inserted into stuffing reads 165- approximately 35-40 minutes.


8. Serve stuffed chicken with rice.

Source: Adapted from Everyday Food

Mango-Cilantro Relish*



2 mangoes, peeled and diced (see note)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice (2-3 limes)
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Combine the mangoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and orange juice in a bowl and gently mix.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
* We doubled this recipe for 6-8 chicken breasts.

Note: Learn how to Prepare and Cut a Mango.

Yield: 4 cups


Source: Bobby Flay