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AI-generated photograph: Charred jerk chicken thighs on a matte charcoal plate with a neat mound of coconut rice and peas, a wedge of lime and a scatter of sliced spring onion

Home · Recipes · Jerk chicken with rice and peas

Caribbean · Dinner

Jerk chicken with rice and peas

scotch bonnet and allspice · charred chicken · coconut rice and peas

AI-generated photograph

Chicken thighs marinated in a fiery paste of scotch bonnet, allspice, thyme and spring onion, roasted until sticky and charred, with coconut rice and peas on the side.

Contains: none of the 14 allergens, as written. None of the 14 allergens is in this recipe as written. If you use a ready-made jerk paste instead, check it, as many contain soy sauce (soya and gluten) or mustard.

Ingredients

  • 6 spring onions: 4 roughly chopped for the paste, 2 left whole for the rice
  • 2 scotch bonnet chillies: 1 for the paste, 1 left whole for the rice
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • A thumb-sized piece of ginger (about 20g)
  • 15g fresh thyme: leaves from most of it, plus 2 whole sprigs for the rice
  • 2 and a half teaspoons ground allspice: 2 for the paste, half for the rice
  • Half a teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Half a teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons (30g) dark brown soft sugar
  • 2 limes: juice of 1 for the paste, 1 cut into wedges to serve
  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt: 1 for the paste, 1 for the rice
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1.2kg)
  • 300g long-grain rice
  • 400g tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 400ml tin coconut milk

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Let's cook

  1. Make the jerk paste. Put 4 chopped spring onions, 1 scotch bonnet, the garlic, ginger, thyme leaves, 2 teaspoons allspice, the cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, juice of 1 lime, the oil, 1 teaspoon salt and the black pepper in a blender. Blend to a thick paste. Wash your hands well after handling scotch bonnet, or wear gloves.
  2. Cut 2 or 3 deep slashes in each chicken thigh. Rub the paste all over and into the cuts. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight for the best flavour.
  3. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan). Lay the chicken skin side up on a roasting tray lined with foil. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, until the skin is dark and sticky and the chicken is cooked through: the juices run clear, there is no pink by the bone, and the thickest part reads 75C.
  4. Meanwhile make the rice and peas. Wash the rice until the water runs almost clear. Put the coconut milk, beans, 2 whole spring onions, thyme sprigs, whole scotch bonnet, half teaspoon allspice and 1 teaspoon salt in a pan with 200ml water and bring to the boil.
  5. Stir in the rice, cover with a tight lid and cook on the lowest heat for 20 minutes without stirring. Keep the scotch bonnet whole so it gives flavour without too much heat.
  6. Turn off the heat and leave the rice covered for 5 minutes. Take out the scotch bonnet, thyme and spring onions and fluff the rice with a fork.
  7. For extra char, put the chicken under a hot grill for 2 to 3 minutes at the end, watching it closely. Rest it for 5 minutes, then serve with the rice and peas and lime wedges.

Tips

  • In Jamaica, peas means kidney beans, often called red peas.
  • Marinating overnight makes the biggest difference to the taste.
  • Cool leftover rice quickly, keep it in the fridge, eat it within a day and reheat it until steaming hot.

Swaps

  • Milder: use half a scotch bonnet with the seeds out in the paste.
  • Barbecue: cook the chicken over medium coals for 30 to 35 minutes, turning often, until cooked through.

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