Jerk Chicken in Rice and Blackeyed Peas:

"Don't cook this, though, unless you like it hot. And I mean hot."

 

Ingredients

Chicken Breast/ Thighs
Or use some Jerk Chicken Seasoning (everything in it and grounded already)

In a blender or food processor puree:
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 to 3 Scotch Bonnet peppers (I used jalapeno)
10 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
10 garlic cloves
Combine all of the above in a bowl and stir in the following:

1/2 cup fresh lime juice or white vinegar (I used red apple-vinegar)

1 cup of soy sauce 

1/2 cup raw sugar (we are cutting sweets out of our diet) substitute Mango Chutney or a jam

 Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Score chicken and season with salt. Spoon desired amount of jerk marinade over chicken and rub into scores. Marinate refrigerated for 2 hours to overnight. Bake for 35 minutes in the oven. Remove from the oven and finish on the grill

 Directions

I should start this by saying my home version of Jerk Chicken is different from the street-food, hot and crisp, that Jamaican make. My domestic oven just doesn't get hot enough, and so although the spiced chili crust gets gratifyingly crisp, the skin doesn't - it can't - and flabby skin is just not what you want with this dish. Thus, although the vinegary, limey, rum, and spiced marinade makes the meat lusciously tender, you have grilled/burn the outer casing entirely.

Now, I cooked this day two, leftovers, using  breast meat,  It's a miracle all around that the dish was better, the meat tender and I enjoyed the jerk chicken flavor sauce where I added the mango chutney, to get the sweetness to combat the heat in the recipe.

 There's no point choosing to cook this and then trying to find a way to tame it, say by taking out the seeds from the chili (though you could if you must). Besides, although it packs a major punch, the sweet, creamy, coconut rice that just must be served with it, offers the perfect counterbalancing salve.

Ingredients

6 chicken breasts, without skin or bone (or chicken supreme joints, with the wing bones still attached)
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1 3/4 piece ginger root, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 fresh red chilies, whole
1 onion, peeled and quartered

Rice and Peas, recipe follows
Slash the chicken breasts, 3 slashes abreast, each cut about 3/4-inch deep on the diagonal. Put in a rectangular dish, slashed-side down. Put all the other ingredients in the processor and blitz to a dark, earthy paste and pour and spread over the chicken pieces and leave to marinate out of the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours or in the refrigerator, (covered), overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Double-line a shallow roasting pan with aluminum foil. Tip into it the chicken with its marinade slashed side up and roast for 30 minutes.

Take the pan out of the oven, just to pour off excess watery juices. Use a pastry brush and spoon to place any paste back on the chicken and cook for a further 30 minutes, by which time the chicken will be cooked through and tender with a thick fiery crust. You could get started on the Rice and Peas once the chicken's back in the oven for its final stint.

For serving: Pile up each dinner plate with coconut rice and sit a piece of hot-crusted chicken proudly on top.

Make-Ahead Note: Jerk paste can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to a non-metallic bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface. Cover bowl tightly with a second layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate. The chicken can be marinated up to 24 hours in advance. Cover dish tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Freeze Note: The chicken in its marinade can be frozen, in a resealable bag, for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator - put the bag in a bowl to catch any leaks.

Making leftovers right: Should you have leftovers - and don't count on it if you're 6 round the table - refrigerate as soon as cooled and within 1 to 2 days you can simply snip some chicken into the rice and reheat until piping hot. However, I love this in a new form: a thick, coconut soup punctured by fiery bursts of tender meat. Add some coconut milk and chicken broth to the leftover rice, along with some freshly grated ginger root and a spritz of lime juice, and heat up, adding the chicken, cut into small strips or small chunks, once it starts bubbling. When the meat's piping hot, season to taste then pour your soup into a bowl (or bowls) and scatter with freshly chopped cilantro and slurp gratefully.

Rice and Peas:

1 (1-ounce) can peas or black-eyed
1 tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chili, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups long-grain rice
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Salt, to taste

Drain and rinse the peas, and heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan that has a lid. Fry the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring every now and again, letting it soften and brown a little. Then add the chopped chili and garlic, and give everything a good stir around. Now stir in the rice, making sure it is all slicked with oil, then pour in the coconut milk and chicken or vegetable broth and stir in the drained peas. Bring to a bubble, clamp on the lid, and turn down the heat to very low and let it cook gently for 15 minutes.

Check the rice is cooked through and the liquid is all absorbed - give the rice another 5 minutes if it needs it. Sprinkle with the freshly chopped thyme and season with salt if desired, forking it through