Nutrition Facts

• Serving size: 1 dinner (792.5 g)                         
• Calories: 1,474
• Total Fat: 56.3 g  (Daily Value 87%)
• Sodium: 2,576 mg (Daily Value 107%)
• Carbohydrates: 155.3 g (Daily Value 52%)
• Protein: 85.6 g

 

If you love Caribbean fare, I’m sure you’ve eaten at the Real Jerk, a Toronto staple for almost 30 years: delicious and spicy — but not as healthy as you may think. Jerk is traditional Caribbean barbecue made using a spice rub or marinade on the meat. Eating the skin-on chicken, combined with the rice and peas, coleslaw and fried plantain, puts you into the “red” zone in terms of your daily nutrition. This meal gives you most of your daily calories, fat and sodium due to the oil and salt. 

 

Here’s my healthy take on a jerk chicken dinner. For an easy meal, cook the chicken and prepare the sauce early in the day. Complete the dish just before serving.

 

For Rose's Healthy Take : Caribbean chicken with curry sauce

 

Post City Magazines’ culinary columnist, Rose Reisman, is the author of 17 cookbooks, a TV and radio personality and a health and wellness expert. Visit Rose at www.rosereisman.com.