Instant Pot Jerk Chicken Lasagna

This instant pot Jamaican jerk chicken pasta recipe is so tasty, and is a popular option among "Jamericans". Why not make it at home instead? My version is way more healthier than most restaurants, since the jerk sauce is coconut milk based. 

This creamy jerk sauce tastes amazing and the little secret is that there is no dairy in this instant pot jerk chicken pasta. This gives a less heavy taste with the same great spice.

Today, Jamaica is known for its contributions to music (such as ska, reggae and dancehall) and literature, for being the place where the Rastafarian movement was founded, and for its unique cuisine.

Many Jamaican dishes make extensive use of spices. In particular, Jamaican allspice (which is also known as “Jamaican pepper”, “pimenta” оr “pimento”), and annatto are used for flavoring many recipes.

Annattoo is quite an unusual spice, it comes from the pulp that surrounds the seeds of achiote trees, and has a flavor that tastes like pepper with some nutmeg added.

The most famous Jamaican dishes are “jerk” dishes.

In these dishes, meat is marinated with a mix of spices known as “Jamaican jerk spice”, and then cooked on a charcoal grill. Jerk spice is actually a mix of several spices and is very fiery as result of the allspice and scotch bonnet peppers in the mix.

Jamaican food like many other African foods was influenced by the traveler from a different country that visits the country.

People from the country such as China and India brought the Asian tropical crops with the mixed of exotic flavors which have become the traditional food of most of them can be found in most of the country.

Some Jamaican dishes such as callaloo, plantain, rice and peas, curry goat, and spice jerk were introduced to the country by foreigners.

What is Jerk Seasoning? 

The most important step to jerk chicken is the jerk seasoning or jerk paste. Jerk seasoning is normally a powdered version of what the paste would be but with less flavor. Jamaican Jerk Paste is naturally light in color because of the natural spices but darkened with browning. Browning is a caramelized brown sugar additive and Jamaicans usually use it for cooking and baking.

White Meat Chicken and Dark Meat 

When it comes to authentic Caribbean jerk chicken, the part of the chicken doesn’t matter, because it is normally based on preference. By far I prefer the drumsticks because the meat is much more tender and contains more moisture. On the other hand, white meat chicken is more healthy, so why not stick to living longer. If you choose to use dark meat, ensure it is bones and cubed. Follow the same instructions as in the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Lasagna recipe below but cook for 1 minute longer. I have a Boneless Jamaican Curry Chicken recipe you can try!

How to Make Jerk Chicken Marinade? 

Jerk chicken marinade is crucial for any jerk chicken recipe. After cleaning and washing the chicken, run the chicken with homemade or store bought jerk paste, along with other spices of your choosing. Allow the chicken to marinate overnight for maximum flavor, or at least 8 hours. Don’t forget to pierce each piece of chicken to allow the jerk marinade to seep through the meat and into the bones. A lot of people chew their chicken bones. Have you ever heard the term, seasoned to the bone? I think someone came up with that after they tasted jerk chicken… ha ha 

Is Red Stripe Beer the Best Beer for Instant Pot Jerk Chicken? 

For this creamy jerk chicken recipe, no. But for authentic Jamaican jerk chicken, it is a must. It cannot be jerk chicken without Red Stripe Beer. When jerking chicken the correct way, we use a coal jerk pan made from a steel barrel or on pimento wood. Pimento is also know as all spice berries. Either way, Red Stripe Beer is an essential part of any grilled jerk chicken recipe.

Try This Delicious Guava Jelly Recipe!

Cooking both meat and pasta in the instant pot is pretty simple. It is easy for the paste to burn so I like to add the pasta on top of the liquid. Adding the paste on top of the cooking liquid will allow the pasta the steam on top instead of soaking up the liquid on the bottom of the instant pot and prevent the burn notice.