Orchard Jerk Wraps

Difficulty rating: 3 chef's hat (out of 5)

A fun family meal for lunch or dinner.  Start marinating meat 12-24 hours prior to cooking and then throw together the night before or in morning.

Ingredients:

• 2 jalapeno pepper, halved and seeded
• 8 scallions (green onions), sliced into 2” lengths
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 6 TBS freshly grated ginger or 3 tsp. dried
• 2 TBS fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried
• 2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 1 cup ketchup or canned tomatoes
• 1 cup apple cider or juice
• 6 pounds chicken pieces (You can also substitute for pork, beef, or venison)
• 3 TBS cream cheese
• 6 wheat flour tortilla
• 6 leaves lettuce
• medium red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1 ½ cups fruit preserves of your choice 

Directions:
In a food processor or blender, process jalapeno, scallion, garlic, ginger, and thyme until finely ground.  Add the allspice, lime juice, ketchup, and apple cider.  Puree the mixture for 30 seconds, until well combined.  Put aside one cup of the jerk sauce and store in the fridge until just before meal is served.

Place chicken pieces in a bowl, and cover with the rest of the marinade (approximately 3 cups).  Securely cover the bowl, and leave in the fridge overnight or no less than 12 hours.

To cook, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and place in a baking pan. Toss out the marinade that was with the raw chicken.   Bake chicken, turning occasionally, for 45 to 50 minutes until golden outside and cooked through.  When chicken is done, let it cool until it is easily handled.  Pick out the bones (if using bone-in chicken) chop meat, and mix with the reserved jerk sauce from the fridge.

To make the warps, layer cream cheese, lettuce, red onion, fruit preserves, and chicken onto the whole-wheat tortillas. Roll it on up and enjoy!


Inspired by Britton Doolittle of Deep Roots Farm in Mason, WI