Meet the contestants

Jamaica's most exciting cooking competition is just around the corner. All roads lead to the picturesque Ocean Boulevard in downtown Kingston on Sunday, November 24, for the grand finals of the CB Pan Chicken Championships grand finals. Twenty-six men and women from across the island will be firing up their pans as they compete for more than half-a-million dollars in cash and prizes, a trophy, and bragging rights for the best pan chicken.

Before they blaze off, join The Gleaner each week leading up to the event for an up-close and personal view of each finalist, and select your winner on Facebook.

Kevin Nash

Parish: White Hall, St Mary

Strategy to win the 2013 CB Pan Chicken Championship: I have the number-one jerk in the island!

My plan to win is just to season my chicken the right and proper way and get it tasty and tender, plus my attractive presentation to the judges. My team slogan is 'Catch the Taste' so I always try to outdo everyone with the meals I prepare. I think my taste will outdo everyone else's.

Favourite chicken dish: Malah chicken

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb CB Chicken breast

Soy supersauce

Panda brand oyster-flavoured sauce

1 tbs sugar

1 sml onion

1 hot pepper (Scotch bonnet)

1/4 lb scallion

1/4 lb sweet pepper

1 clove garlic

Method

1. Dice chicken breasts then wash with salt water.

2. Season diced chicken with chopped onion, hot pepper, scallion, garlic and sweet pepper wedges.

3. Add oyster sauce and sugar to the seasoned diced chicken.

4. Marinate for 15 minutes.

5. Remove seasoning from chicken then add chicken to heated pan with oil.

6. Stir-fry for five minutes.

7. Mix a tip of soy supersauce with two tablespoons oyster space and then add to the stir-fried chicken.

8. Add the mixed spice and sweet pepper to the chicken.

9. Cover and leave to thicken.

Preparation time: 30min

Patrick Martin

Parish: Highgate, St Mary

Strategy to win the 2013 CB Pan Chicken Championship: I have the best recipe, best tasting chicken and I want everyone to know that. I am trying to give them a taste that they haven't tasted before, something different with basic jerk ingredients and other secret herbs that they haven't heard about or used before. I don't do the normal things. I don't want to go for the normal taste that everybody does.

Favourite chicken dish: Jerk chicken

Ingredients

4 lbs whole CB Chicken

3 scotch bonnet peppers

1 oz dry pimento

1 tbs sugar

1 oz ginger

1 clove garlic

3 oz scallion

1 oz onion

8 oz white vinegar

2 oz olive oil

? nutmeg

pinch of thyme

salt to taste

Method

1. Cut chicken in half.

2. Clean and wash chicken properly, break all joints.

3. Put chicken to drain.

4. Strip and wash all seasoning.

5. Using a blender, combine all seasoning and blend to a smooth paste.

6. In a bowl add seasoning to chicken and mix until all the chicken is covered.

7. Leave to marinate for at least an hour.

8. Heat grill to approximately 320F.

9. Grease grill with a little oil, place chicken on grill.

10. Turn chicken seldomly until cook, this will take 45 mins to an hour. Then serve.

Triston Bernal

Parish: Morant Bay, St Thomas

Strategy to win the 2013 CB Pan Chicken Championship: I'm inspired by God and I don't just do regular chicken, my chicken is really good. Best thing to do is to stick to what I went through with in the regional-though I might tweak it. I'm thinking of a Pina Colada-Mayo Jerk chicken for the finals. I went with a pineapple jerk chicken and pineapple fritters at the regional and I used natural seasonings. What makes me different is that I don't give you just chicken, I give you a food experience: anything I put on the plate can be eaten and enjoyed to the max.

Favourite chicken dish: Guava mayo grilled chicken served with veg penne pasta

Ingredients

2 lb CB Chicken cut into small portions

1 pk penne pasta

2 tsp mayonnaise

2 tsp guava jam

1 large carrot

1 sweet pepper

2 large tomatoes

scallion finely chopped

1 onion finely chopped

Thyme roughly chopped

Homestyle natural all spice

Method

1. Prepare chicken and add all spice, scallion, thyme, mayonnaise and guava in a large bowl.

2. Use clean hands to combine all the products and place on pre-heated grill.

3. Slow cook on low heat for 30-45 mins.

4. Cook and drain pasta.

5. Add vegetables to a hot skillet, combine pasta and olive oil.

6. Season with salt to taste.

7. Serve chicken with steamed vegetable and steamed vegetable.