Description
This Easy Jerk Chicken with Rice & Peas recipe brings the vibrant flavors of Caribbean cuisine straight to your kitchen. Tender chicken thighs and drumsticks are marinated and roasted in rich jerk barbecue sauce, delivering a perfect balance of spicy, smoky, and sweet notes. Accompanied by fragrant basmati rice simmered with coconut milk, kidney beans, allspice, garlic, spring onions, and thyme, this dish offers a delicious and satisfying meal that’s ideal for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Jerk Chicken
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1kg chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 1 bottle jerk barbecue sauce (Levi Roots or Walkerswood from Waitrose)
- 1 bunch spring onions, sliced
For the Rice & Peas
- 200g basmati rice
- 2 × 410g cans kidney beans
- 400g can coconut milk
- 1 bunch spring onions, chopped
- 1 thyme sprig
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 tsp allspice
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat and brown the chicken: Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Pour the sunflower oil into a roasting tin and place it over medium heat. Carefully add the chicken thighs and drumsticks to the tin and brown them lightly on all sides, which will take about 6-8 minutes. This step locks in the juices and adds flavor.
- Coat the chicken with jerk sauce: Pour the entire bottle of jerk barbecue sauce over the browned chicken pieces. Scatter the sliced spring onions on top and toss everything gently to ensure each piece of chicken is well-coated in the sauce and flavors are evenly distributed.
- Roast the chicken: Place the roasting tin in the preheated oven and roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken occasionally during cooking to develop a sticky, caramelized exterior and ensure even roasting.
- Prepare the rice and peas base: While the chicken roasts, rinse the basmati rice under cold water in a sieve until the water runs clear. This removes excess starch and prevents the rice from becoming sticky.
- Simmer the rice with aromatics: In a pan, combine the liquid from both cans of kidney beans (discard the solids for now), coconut milk, chopped spring onions, thyme sprig, chopped garlic clove, allspice, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the flavors.
- Add the kidney beans and cook rice: Add the drained kidney beans and rinsed rice to the simmering liquid and continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes until the rice is tender and has absorbed the flavors.
- Drain and serve: Drain the cooked rice and beans mixture briefly if any excess liquid remains. Serve the rice and peas hot alongside the roasted jerk chicken for a warm and hearty meal.
Notes
- For extra smoky flavor, grill the chicken for the last 5 minutes of roasting.
- Using coconut milk in the rice adds creaminess and balances the spicy jerk chicken.
- You can substitute kidney beans with red beans or black-eyed peas if preferred.
- Adjust the amount of jerk sauce to your spice tolerance.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes after roasting for juicier meat.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Caribbean
Keywords: jerk chicken, rice and peas, Caribbean recipe, roasted chicken, coconut rice, spicy chicken, Jamaican cuisine
