Jerk chicken with rice & peas

• chicken thighs↗12

  bone in

• lime↗1

  halved

• hot sauce↗

  to serve (optional)

• spring onions↗1 big bunch

  roughly chopped

• piece ginger↗thumb-sized

  roughly chopped

• garlic cloves↗3
• onion↗½ a small

  ½ a small

• scotch bonnet↗3

  chillies, deseeded if you want less heat

• dried thyme↗½ tsp tsp

  or 1 tbsp thyme leaves

• lime↗1

  juiced

• soy sauce↗2 tbsp tbsp
• vegetable oil↗2 tbsp tbsp
• brown sugar↗3 tbsp tbsp
• ground allspice1 tbsp tbsp
• basmati rice↗200g g
• coconut milk↗400g can
• spring onions↗1 bunch

  sliced

• thyme sprigs↗2 large
• garlic cloves↗2

  finely chopped

• ground allspice1 tsp
• kidney beans↗2 x 410g cans

  drained

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   To make the jerk marinade, combine the spring onions, ginger, garlic, onion, scotch bonnet chillies, dried thyme, lime juice, soy sauce, vegetable oil, brown sugar and ground allspice in a food processor along with 1 tsp salt, and blend to a purée. If you’re having trouble getting it to blend, just keep turning off the blender, stirring the mixture, and trying again. Eventually it will start to blend up – don’t be tempted to add water, as you want a thick paste.

2. 2

   Taste the jerk mixture for seasoning – it should taste pretty salty, but not unpleasantly, puckering salty. You can now throw in more chillies if it’s not spicy enough for you.

3. 3

   Make a few slashes in 12 chicken thighs and pour the marinade over the meat, rubbing it into all the crevices. Cover and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.

4. 4

   If you want to barbecue your chicken, get the coals burning 1 hr or so before you’re ready to cook. Authentic jerked meats are not exactly grilled as we think of grilling, but sort of smoke-grilled. To get a more authentic jerk experience, add some wood chips to your barbecue, and cook your chicken over slow, indirect heat for 30 mins.

5. 5

   To cook in the oven, heat to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the chicken pieces in a roasting tin with the halved lime and cook for 45 mins until tender and cooked through.

6. 6

   While the chicken is cooking, prepare the rice & peas. Rinse the basmati rice in plenty of cold water, then tip it into a large saucepan. Add the coconut milk, spring onions, thyme sprigs, garlic and ground allspice.

7. 7

   Season with salt, add 300ml cold water and set over a high heat. Once the rice begins to boil, turn it down to a medium heat, cover and cook for 10 mins. Add the kidney beans to the rice, then cover with a lid. Leave off the heat for 5 mins until all the liquid is absorbed.

8. 8

   Squeeze the roasted lime over the chicken and serve with the rice & peas, and some hot sauce if you like it really spicy.