Grilled Chicken with Caribbean Green Seasoning – the seasoning that doubles as a marinade and sauce. It’s a quick and easy, paleo, gluten-free and chicken-licking good!
Happy Monday Everyone! You want to know something? I always have this Caribbean green seasoning in my freezer – all the time.
It pairs well with absolutely ANY grilled food – a little goes a long way – smear it on fish, steak, vegetables and my favorite – chicken — before grilling or roasting. Or stir it into stews, soups and anything that is just not quite right – scrambled eggs, salad dressing and canned sauce and it is all good. It lasts a long time in the refrigerator so you do not have to freeze it if you do a lot of cooking.
If you have never tried this sauce, it packs a punch of flavor and takes only a few minutes to put together and you can adjust the spice blend to suit your preference. Don’t care for cilantro? Don’t use it. Too much garlic or ginger? Reduce the quantity. Cooking for kids? Get rid of the pepper. You get the idea, right?
It is herb blend where you can add or remove any herb or spice that is not to your liking. There are many, many variations on this green seasoning. If you are a heat seeker, then go for it – two, three, ten… I’m not counting. Let your taste buds guide you.
Here, I used this green seasoning on chicken to create a quick, yet flavorful weeknight chicken with minimal effort or prep work. The chicken is seasoned with salt, fresh ground black pepper or Cajun seasoning and then marinated with the green seasoning. If you can, marinate the chicken for several hours or overnight to let it penetrate the chicken. Most of the time it is a spur of the moment dinner so I do not have time to marinade.
Green seasoning is a traditional Caribbean or African seasoning and it’s sorta like Argentina chimichurri. You can freeze the remaining seasoning or simmer and serve with chicken.
This green seasoning chicken is great with a side of vegetable, this baked crispy fries or Caribbean rice and beans or any of your favorite side order.
Enjoy!
Green Seasoning Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup chopped celery leafy part
- ½ cup fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup chopped sweet basil
- 1 tablespoon rosemary
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- ¼ cup chopped garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon bouillon powder optional
- Water or vegetable oil
- 3 1/2 – 5 pound chicken cut up
- 2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning adjust to taste and size
- ½ teaspoon bouillon powder
- 1 lime or lemon
Instructions
Green Seasoning
- Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or blender into a fine paste. You might have to do this in several batches. Add just enough water to facilitate blending. If you are using a food processor, you do not need liquid.
- Store it in glass jars with air tight lids and place them in the fridge to be use in a couple of days or you can pour it in a ice cube tray and freeze them. After they are completely frozen, remove and store in zip lock bags for up to 2 months. Thaw before using.
- Trim chicken of excess fat and pat dry with a cloth or paper napkin. Rub with lemon, and 2 teaspoons creole spice or season with salt and pepper. Then add about ¼ cup green seasoning. Freeze the rest or reserve to serve with chicken
- When ready to roast. Using a thong remove chicken green seasoning marinade and remove excess marinate. Reserve the marinade.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400°.
- Roast chicken until the skin is nicely browned for about 40-45 minutes; depending on the size of your chicken. There should be no pink near the thighbone and the juices run clear. As you are cooking, check both white meat and dark meat. If the white meat is cooked before the dark meat, take it out and set it on the serving plate until all the other parts of chicken is ready
- An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
Grilling
- When ready to grill, using a thong, remove chicken from the green seasoning marinade and remove excess marinate. Reserve the marinade
- Preheat grill to medium- high heat.
- Place chicken on the grill and grill for about 10-15 minutes an each side. You may need to turn the chicken occasionally on each side until it is cooked all the way. Do this in batches if you have a small grill.
- While cooking you may occasionally baste with green seasoning.
- If desired, in a small saucepan, simmer the remaining green seasoning marinade and the one from the chicken for about 7 minutes. Serve with chicken or mix with chicken.
Nutrition Information:
Linda says
I will be making this seasoning. I love your style and recipes. Thank you.
Amina says
Thank you. Sure it will be a handy thing to turn your regular recipes into restaurant style.
Ronnie S says
Two questions. For a lazy cook can we use boneless and skinless chicken pieces and can we use bottled green seasonings sold in Caribbean stores ?
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Ronnie! Yes you can do both. But I’d like to share that the chicken skin adds to the texture of this recipe, but if you prefer skinless, that’s okay, too 🙂 Enjoy!
Vergilia says
mmmmmh, i can just imagine how it will taste. love it
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks Vergilla- you will love it
Philo says
I’m making this tonight…