Caribbean Chicken — A Toast to Bacardi Man
Making Caribbean Chicken has always made me think of my Dad. These days it makes me reminisce a little…
Caribbean chicken over coconut rice.
Many years ago, before we had children, my friend Cheryl and her then husband often spent an afternoon or evening together at my Dad’s home on Lake Scugog. Dinner with drinks, a fire and a movie, lots of laughter. Dad and his wife Shirley were extremely welcoming, and I have many photos of the times they invited Cheryl and her husband to join us when I was visiting.
For as long as I can remember, my Dad’s drink of choice was Bacardi and Coke. Never spiced or flavoured rum. Sometimes diet soda. Always Coke. Cheryl’s husband Tim was a graphic artist by trade, one who hand drew art before computer graphics took over, and for one Christmas he drew caricatures of Dad and Shirley as Bacardi Man and the Queen of Hearts. The drawings were so well done, and it was a perfect nickname for my Dad.
Shirley’s middle son salvaged a piece of an old schoolhouse slate blackboard, which Shirley had painted with the Bacardi bat logo and their name for their home, and it hung as a message board in their sun/dining room for years.
I remember hearing the story of a police traffic stop that happened one evening on their way home from the Toronto airport following a vacation. When asked if he had been drinking, Dad reportedly answered “I had a shot of rum at the Bacardi tour at about 5:00 this morning…”
In spite of Dad’s love of Bacardi, I am not a fan of rum. My first true hangover came from drinking it on the beach at a high school party, and I really haven’t been able to enjoy it since. A friend at work makes rum balls every Christmas that I can’t bring myself to try. Another soaks candy coke bottles in rum for 48 hours and brings them in as fun gummies at Christmas. Even the candy form makes me feel squeamish.
Flat metal skewers are definitely easier to turn, but bamboo skewers work too. The chicken drips its marinade and juices onto the veggies as they cook.
It’s surprising then, that when I was single and living in Sarnia, I came across a recipe for “Caribbean Chicken” that turned out to basically be chicken soaked in Bacardi and orange juice, skewered. Oh my, this was a form of rum I could get behind! I fed this chicken to my friends on a regular basis, and it was always a hit with coconut rice and roasted peppers and onion. The original recipe called for BBQing the chicken and vegetables on skewers, but I couldn’t have a BBQ on my apartment balcony. This oven version where you hang the skewered chicken over the vegetables was the one we all fell in love with.
My Dad died suddenly in 2013. After the funeral my sisters, their husbands and children and I met in the back room of a local pub. All the grandchildren present were of legal age, and we each ordered a Bacardi and Coke from a waitress who knew Dad by name. Together, with our own unique and personal memories, we drank a toast to the man we all loved.
Rest in Peace, Bacardi Man.
Simple ingredients and a bottle of Bacardi. Marinated and broiled for a unique taste experience.
Caribbean Chicken
INGREDIENTS
1 lb boneless, skinless breasts or thighs, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
1/3 cup Bacardi rum
1/3 cup orange juice and zest of 1 orange
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 green bell pepper, cubed
1 red bell pepper, cubed
1 red onion, cut in 8 pieces and separated
1 can pineapple pieces
Olive oil for drizzling
SUPPLIES
Glass bowl for marinating chicken
Sharp knife and cutting board, measuring cups and spoons
Flat metal skewers, or bamboo skewers soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
Broiling pan, deep sheet pan or shallow baking dish - deep enough to hang skewers across without touching the veggies on the pan itself.
Saucepan and strainer for the rice.
METHOD
Combine rum, juice and zest, sugar, soy sauce, garlic and ginger, reserving 2 tbsp in the refrigerator.
Marinate chicken in rum and juice mixture for 2-4 hours (but not overnight, the juice is too acidic).
Thread chicken on skewers, alternating with pineapple pieces.
Spread the peppers and onions in a broiler or other deep oven pan, drizzle with olive oil and brush with a bit of reserved marinade. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.
Lay the skewers over the pepper and onion mixture and broil, brushing with remaining reserved marinade and turning every 2 minutes, for about 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
Serve with Coconut Rice:
INGREDIENTS
2 cups jasmine rice
1 400ml can coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
Pinch of salt
1 tsp white sugar
METHOD
Rinse the rice many times, drain well of any excess water, using a strainer, and place the rice in the saucepan.
Add coconut milk, water, salt and sugar.
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, reduce heat to low and cook, covered, over low heat for 20 minutes. Uncover, and continue to cook for 5 minutes or until all liquid is fully absorbed.
Fluff and serve.
Author’s note:
I assume you can use any brand of rum for the chicken. Anything but Bacardi in my house would be sacrilege!
For these photos I didn’t have any jasmine rice in the house, and I used basmati. The final texture is different, but the flavour is just as nice.
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Sue tends a kitchen garden in Alberta, growing as much of the family's food as the season allows. She writes about what comes out of the soil and what ends up on the table — honest, unfussy, and rooted in Canada.