Jerk Chicken Jalapeño Melt
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I'm not entirely sure why, but today I felt like I needed a little spice in my sandwich; nothing too mind blowing, but definitely something with a little tang. I'd been wanting to do something with jalapeños for a while, which obviously cover the spice aspect, but a simple cheese and jalapeño grill seemed like it wouldn't have enough substance to it. That's when I though of jerk chicken.
I'll start with the jalapeños, as there's not too much to say here. Quite simply, the best thing you can do is to roast them; it brings out the best of their flavour, and makes it easy to remove the seeds and skin if you want a little less heat. Most variations of jerk chicken I've come across also use jalapeños in the marinade, but I thought that might be a little bit of overkill, and instead have opted to put together my own special blend. It's pretty mild as far as jerk marinades go, but that's not going to be a problem given the roasted jalapeños we'll be adding.
Finally, we have the cheese choice. I've used a blend here, but a big part of that was down to indecision. Both Monterey Jack and Havarti are excellent melting cheeses, perfect when you're aiming for a melt, and their both creamy enough to take away some of the jalapeño heat. I didn't want to take too much heat away, so I've opted for spiced versions of each: a jalapeño infused Monterey Jack; and a curios creation labeled only as 'Inferno Havarti' which I have a sneaking suspicion contained red chilis.
Despite the abundance of spices, the resulting sandwich has just the right amount of kick without leaving a long lasting burn behind; exactly what I was looking for. :)
Jerk Chicken Jalapeño Melt
Serves: 2 People
Sliced jerk chicken and roasted jalapeños on sourdough, layered with Monterey Jack and a fiery spiced Havarti.
Ingredients
- 4 Slices Sourdough
- 50g Monterey Jack
- 50g Spiced Havarti
- 2 Jerk Marinated Chicken Breasts
- 2 Jalapeños
- Extra Marinade
- Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 450 Fahrenheit (230 Celcius), then add the two marinated chicken breasts over a rack and drip tray.
- After about 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 300 Fahrenheit (150 Celcius).
- As the temperature is adjusted, add an extra layer of the marinade to each chicken breast.
- Brush each jalapeño with a coating of olive oil, and add these to the oven also.
- After 15 more minutes, both the chicken and jalapeños will be done. Use the time in between to grate both cheeses.
- Remove the chicken and jalapeños from the oven, and slice evenly.
- Layer up two slices of sourdough with the chicken, jalapeño and cheese, then place the other slices on top to complete each sandwich.
- Place back in the oven until toasted to your personal preference.
Notes & Tips
Pre-toast you bread if you want a more bronzed colour (typically oven toasting will leave the colour of sourdough untouched), or alternatively brush on a little olive oil to make things more golden. If you have the option, use a barbecue for the jerk chicken.
Jerk Marinade
A fresh and somewhat mild jerk marinade, which can be put together from scratch in about 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 50ml Vegetable Oil
- 50ml White Wine Vinegar
- 50ml Soy Sauce
- 1/2 Small White Onion
- 3 Spring Onions
- 1 Heaped Teaspoon Brown Sugar
- 1 Level Teaspoon Ground Allspice
- 1 Level Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 1 Level Teaspoon Ground Clove
- 1 Teaspoon Grated Ginger Root
- 1 Teaspoon Fresh Thyme
- 1 Lime
Instructions
- Add the vegetable oil, vinegar and soy to a small bowl.
- Finely dice both the white onion and spring onions, and add these to the bowl.
- Add the sugar and each of the three ground spices.
- Grate in the ginger root, and dice in the fresh thyme.
- Slice the lime in half, remove any seeds then squeeze the juice into the mix.
- Place your meat in a container, cover with the marinade then refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes & Tips
Ideally marinade your chicken overnight, though in a pinch it will stick soak up the flavours after a few hours.
