Sides for Pulled Jerk Chicken Sandwich? UPDATE :)

[NyaChan]

We are having people over for dinner on Thursday.  We are serving pulled jerk chicken sandwiches http://www.chow.com/recipes/27788-pulled-jerk-chicken-sandwiches but I'm having trouble coming up with sides and deciding on a dessert.  We have invited a family over with 3 kids, 10 & under.  One of the kids is allergic to nuts.  Spicy food is luckily not a problem as they are Indian as well.  I really want the sides to be kid friendly and filling just in case they don't take to the main dish.  I already have some fresh corn (was thinking grilled or put into a salad of some sort?) but that wouldn't be enough on its own for sure.  Does anyone have any ideas for what would pair well with this? 

[Zilla]

Being that's it's a sandwich, I would do chips or french fries.  Something cool, like a fruit salad? 


You can maybe set aside a few of the thighs and just make them plain in case some may not like the spices profile in jerk.

[Lynnv]

Coleslaw would be good.  The creaminess would offset some of the spiciness of the chicken. 

Black bean and corn salad would also be tasty though it might not be as kid-friendly as coleslaw.

Add some chips, as nearly everyone will eat those.

As far as dessert, I would think of something like brownies or ice cream to go with that menu.  Or perhaps a fruit sorbet.

[Miriam]

Oven fried pickles? With some ranch to dip.

With the corn maybe make a little southwestern salad: greens mixed with the corn, black beans, sliced bell peppers, red kidney beans, mixed cheese shreds and dressing(s) on the side.

[amylouky]

There's an excellent restaurant near me that serves pulled jerk chicken sandwiches. They serve it with fried potato slices (heavily seasoned, but I am not sure with what) and fried plantains, in a honey/syrup type sauce. I always thought the plantains went really well with the taste of the chicken.

[Clair Seulement]

I have a Whole Foods cookbook that recommends serving cilantro lime rice with their jerk chicken recipe. I know a lot of people don't like cilantro but since I do I thought I'd throw that out there!

[NyaChan]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions!   Dinner just got done and seemed to go over quite well.  I ended up serving the chicken on hoagie rolls so I could have hotdogs as a backup in case it was too spicy.  As it turns out, the kids got a huge kick out of eating food made with the hottest pepper you can buy in my small town  

I made black bean, fresh corn, and avocado salsa served with tortilla chips as well as a solid baked mac n cheese.  I had planned on making a watermelon sorbet, but my mom had been chatting with one of the kids earlier and he "hinted" saying "You know, I really like chocolate cake..."  My mom and I are suckers for these kids so a Texas Sheet Cake was served for dessert. 

[JennJenn68]

I made black bean, fresh corn, and avocado salsa served with tortilla chips as well as a solid baked mac n cheese.  I had planned on making a watermelon sorbet, but my mom had been chatting with one of the kids earlier and he "hinted" saying "You know, I really like chocolate cake..."  My mom and I are suckers for these kids so a Texas Sheet Cake was served for dessert. 

That salsa sounds absolutely heavenly.  Would it be a no-no to ask for the recipe?  I positively adore avocado, black beans and fresh corn!

[NyaChan]

Sure, here you go:

Black Bean and Corn Salad
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt, then add to taste once mixed
1 TBL chili powder
1 TBL cumin
1/2 TBL cayenne (to taste for spiciness)
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 - 2 cups corn kernels
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and cut into bite-size pieces
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno, remove seeds and mince

In a jar put lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and spices in jar.  Shake up to mix.  I marinate the avocado in the jar with the dressing (keep in fridge) since it helps keep it green and adds flavor.  This can be stored overnight if necessary.  In bowl mix black beans, corn, jalapeno, onions and cilantro.  Shake dressing/avocado jar then pour over and mix lightly when ready to serve.  Taste and add more salt/spices/jalapeno if needed.  Sometimes I put an extra can of beans/more corn if I want it less spicy. 

[JennJenn68]

Thanks, NyaChan!  I'm going to try it this weekend... it sounds just like summer to me!  Yum!

[EmmaJ.]

Me too - it sounds delicious!  You don't mention cooking the corn first, do you use it just raw from the cob?

[NyaChan]

I use raw from the cob sometimes, other times I'll just pull out a bag of frozen corn.  Works good either way.  Hope it turns out good for you