I've been making my version of Jerk chicken for just under a year now after falling in love with the dig in Brighton last summer. You can make your own jerk marinade or use a ready-made version (which, I have to confess, I often do as it cuts the cooking and mess in half!).
Pre-Cooking Tips ;):
Rice 'n' Peas took me a few attempts to master but now I've got it just right and the secret? It's all in the saucepan lid. Also, those kidney beans need bubbling up for a good hour on a low heat. Low heat is the key for the whole thing in terms of the rice. Gentle steaming - a softly, soft approach :-).
The jerk chicken works really well with whole chicken legs rather than thighs and drums and I wouldn't even attempt to do it with breast meat, you need the juicy dark meat! We recently purchased a cast iron roasting dish from Sainsbury's, that faux Le Crueset style and it's brilliant for baking the chicken legs and creating a really tasty curry sauce.
The marinade is really spicy! The amount you use will depend on how hot you like it! As a guide, 1 tsp per leg gives a hot but comfortable flavour, 2 tsps per leg is a bit more fiery - use the whole jar and you're on another level but if you like it scorching then go for it!! You can do half and half (i.e. a few fiery and a few just a bit spicy, that's what I do).
Also, the recipe is gluten free and dairy free :-)
Ingredients
(serves two greedy people with one 'leftovers' lunch)
5 chicken legs
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1/4-1/3 can coconut milk
for the marinade: (or alternatively, I recommend a jar of Dunn River's jerk)
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
1 scotch bonnet, chopped
2-4 tsps fresh thyme leaves
1-2 tbs oil
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Jamaican all-purpose seasoning (add more to taste)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tbs apple cider vinegar (add to taste)
pinch of salt (optional)
for the rice and peas:
1 mug rice, washed and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained
2/3-3/4 can coconut milk
1/4 mug water
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 sprigs of thyme
Instructions:
1. If you're making the marinade from scratch, simply blend the ingredients together to form a paste, adding the spices to taste. If not, then open the jar :)
2. Score the chicken legs a few times and then rub with the marinade. Stuff the sliced garlic into the flesh. Leave it to marinade for about an hour. (if you've got longer, around 4-8 hours then that's fab but don't worry too much if not, it still tastes great.
3. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees. Place marinated chicken legs in the oven (preferably in a cast iron dish) and set the timer for 50 minutes.
4. Place kidney beans and crushed garlic in a saucepan with up to 3/4 of the coconut milk and about a quarter cup of water, bring to the boil, then gently simmer for about 40 minutes or until the kidney beans are soft and some have split. Add salt to taste.
5. add the rice into the kidney beans, water and coconut milk and top with the thyme sprigs. Cover and ensure they are simmering very gently.
6. When the oven timer goes off at 50 minutes, pour the remainder of the coconut milk into the dish of chicken, ensuring you do not get any of it on the chicken skins - you want these to stay crispy! Continue to cook for about 10 minutes.
7. Check the rice after you've put the chicken back in the oven with the coconut milk. It should taste every-so-slightly hard. Switch off the heat and leave the lid on, allowing it to steam for 10 minutes while the sauce is cooking.
8. After 10 mins is up, get the chicken out the oven. Remove the sprigs of thyme on top the rice and break it up a bit so that the kidney beans are distributed.
9. Serve.
Ps - the curry sauce tastes really good drizzled over the rice :-)
