Jerk chicken with rice & peas

Instructions

1- To make the jerk marinade, combine all the ingredients in a food processor along with 1 tsp salt, and blend to a purée.

2- If you’re having trouble getting it to blend, just keep turning off the blender, stirring the mixture, and trying again.

3- Eventually it will start to blend up – don’t be tempted to add water, as you want a thick paste.

4- Taste the jerk mixture for seasoning – it should taste pretty salty, but not unpleasantly, puckering salty.

5- You can now throw in more chillies if it’s not spicy enough for you.

6- If it tastes too salty and sour, try adding in a bit more brown sugar until the mixture tastes well balanced.

7- Make a few slashes in the chicken thighs and pour the marinade over the meat, rubbing it into all the crevices.

8- Cover and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.

9- If you want to barbecue your chicken, get the coals burning 1 hr or so before you’re ready to cook.

10- Authentic jerked meats are not exactly grilled as we think of grilling, but sort of smoke-grilled.

11- 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.

12- To cook in the oven, heat to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

13- Put the chicken pieces in a roasting tin with the lime halves and cook for 45 mins until tender and cooked through.

14- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the rice & peas.

15- Rinse the rice in plenty of cold water, then tip it into a large saucepan with all the remaining ingredients except the kidney beans.

16- Season with salt, add 300ml cold water and set over a high heat.

17- Once the rice begins to boil, turn it down to a medium heat, cover and cook for 10 mins.

18- Add the beans to the rice, then cover with a lid.

19- Leave off the heat for 5 mins until all the liquid is absorbed.

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