Jamaican Jerk Chicken Stew

Jamaican Jerk is usually a dry rub or paste of jerk spices used to grill chicken or other meats. I decided to use the ingredients in the rub to come up with a jerk stew. It really turned out fabulous. The allspice gives it a dark color and the blend of spices really make for a delicious aromatic stew which can be served over rice or noodles. I think you could add sweet potato (I would have if I had one). I did chop up a banana and added it to the stew right before serving. The  combination of sweet banana and jerk was heavenly! You could tinker with the ingredients but below describes how I put them together. It worked! I will definitely make this again.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Stew

3 boneless chicken breasts
2 T olive oil
1 large onion
4 medium garlic cloves, chopped
1 small green pepper
1/2 T minced jalapeno pepper
1 16 oz can sliced stewed tomatoes, torn apart into small pieces
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup beer
2 T allspice powder
1 T thyme
1 T black pepper
1 T brown sugar
1 T cornstarch
salt to taste

1. Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Saute in oil until no longer pink.
2. Place chicken in a Dutch oven or stewing pot with lid (I prefer my enamel cast iron Dutch oven for stewing). Add water.
3. Chop onion and pepper into 1 inch pieces and add to pot along with garlic and jalapeno pepper.
4. Add tomatoes, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.
5. Add allspice, thyme, pepper, and brown sugar. Stir thoroughly. Mixture will be dark. Add beer, stir, and let simmer on low with the lid on for one hour. Turn heat off and let it sit and allow the flavors to develop for an hour. Reheat and serve!