Hi guys
Happy new year 2023. Hope all of you had a lovely Christmas 🎄
As mentioned in one of my previous posts, I come from a mixed carribbean and South American culture. I love cooking dishes from both of my parents cultures.
here is one of my favourite dishes.
JAMAICAN JERK CHICKEN, WITH RICE +PEAS.
Ingredients
4-6 chicken breasts, thighs or drumsticks(I prefer to skin my chicken, however its your personal preferenceon whether you do so.)
2 tablespoons Tropical Sun Dry Jerk Seasoning
Jerk Seasoning Marinade:
3 tablespoons Tropical Sun Jerk Seasoning Paste
2 tablespoons Tropical Sun Classic BBQ Sauce or levi roots reggae reggae sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
Rice & Peas:
1 tin (400g) Gungo Peas or red kidney beans , drained and rinsed. You can use red kidney beans, instead of the gungo beans if you prefer that.
3 cups vegetable stock (dissolve 1.5 Vegetable Stock Cubes in approx 750ml boiled water and allow to cool)
2 stalks spring onion, finely chopped
4 stems fresh thyme
1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 whole Whole Pimento (Allspice) Berries
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups Basmati Rice
Method
Wash the chicken. Fill a bowl with cold water (enough to cover the chicken). Add in 2 teaspoons of vinegar and the juice of 1 lemon. Put the chicken into the bowl and soak for 10 minutes.
Drain the water, vinegar and lemon mixture, rinse chicken with cold water and pat dry with paper towel or similar.
Rub each piece of chicken with the dry jerk seasoning, ensuring you get maximum coverage. Leave to rest for 30 minutes to allow the flavour to absorb.
In a bowl, mix together the jerk seasoning paste, BBQ sauce, garlic, thyme, salt, black pepper, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and olive oil to create the jerk marinade.
5 . Cover the chicken with the jerk marinade and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight.
6. While the chicken is marinating, cover the gungo peas/red kidney beans, with vegetable stock in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over moderately high heat.
7. Once the stock is boiling, add in the spring onion, thyme, whole scotch bonnet pepper, garlic, pimento and ginger.
8. Stir in the coconut milk and salt and bring to a gentle simmer.
9. Wash the rice thoroughly with cold water, add to the saucepan and stir. Cover and allow to come to a boil, then turn down to a low heat. Cook until rice grains are tender, approximately 30-40 minutes.
10. While the rice is cooking, preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F/ Gas 6 and cook the chicken in a lightly oiled baking tray until it’s cooked through and the skin is crispy, approximately 20-25 minutes.
11. Once the rice is cooked and has absorbed the liquid, remove from the heat and let steam for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the thyme stems, whole pimento and scotch bonnet. Using a fork, fluff the rice and peas.
12. Serve the chicken with the rice & peas and hot sauce if you like it extra spicy! 😋
