Jerk Chicken Rice and Peas
, Updated Jul 17, 2025
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Spice up your life with my easy Jerk Chicken Rice and Peas recipe. Use a homemade Jerk chicken marinade (or a jarred one for convenience) to create this classic Jamaican dish all one in one pot. This flavor-packed meal will bring some spicy Caribbean sunshine to your dinner table!
Looking for an easy one pot chicken dinner that will literally knock your socks off? Look no further – this jerk chicken rice and peas is bursting with flavor thanks to the Jamaican jerk chicken marinade. The coconut rice and kidney beans temper the spice and make this one pot wonder a true marvel!
To avoid extra dirty dishes, will need a cast iron braiser that can be used on the stove to sear the chicken and then the oven to finish cooking our jerk chicken rice and peas. I foolishly used a skillet and then a baking dish creating a bit of extra work for myself.
Jerk Chicken Origins (with a side of Rice and Peas)
Jerk chicken is a Jamaican dish whose origins can be traced back to escaped enslaved Africans. The former slaves escaped to the mountains where they eventually blended their culinary traditions with the cooking methods of the Taíno, the indigenous people of the Caribbean.
‘Jerk’ doesn’t just refer to the seasoning or the spicy marinade, but also to the cooking style adapted from the Taíno who were “jerking” (cooking or smoking) meat on the aromatic native pimento wood of the allspice tree.
Allspice berries are also an essential ingredient of the spicy jerk rub which also uses fiery scotch bonnet peppers, green onions, garlic, thyme, five spice powder, soy sauce to create a complex addicting flavor that’s smoky, sweet, spicy and fruity all at once!
But here’s the thing, jerk chicken can be as spicy or as mild as you want it to be. Feel free to adjust the amount of peppers you use according to your taste!
Rice and Peas is a traditional Jamaican side dish that is often paired with jerk chicken. Despite the name, this coconut rice dish contains beans, traditionally kidney bean and / or gungo peas which are a type of bean (with me so far?). Don’t picture frozen peas – they have no place in this recipe.
Jerk Chicken Rice and Peas Ingredients
Cooking the rice and peas with the chicken infuses the rice with the flavors of the jerk marinade creating an intensely flavored one pot dish that will be a hit with family and friends. I am including a recipe for homemade jerk marinade, but you can also a jar of jerk paste to make this easier on yourself.
- For the Jamaican jerk chicken marinade, you will need onion, scallions, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper, vegetable oil, soy sauce, ground allspice, five spice powder, grated nutmeg, thyme, salt and pepper. The benefit of making your own marinade? You can control the spice level by adjusting how much scotch bonnet you add.
- And now the chicken – using bone-in chicken such as chicken legs, thighs or a whole chicken cut into quarters is best for jerk chicken recipes as it keeps the meat tender and moist. You can keep the skin on the chicken or remove it if you prefer.
- Finally for the rice and peas you will need easy-cook long grain rice, kidney beans, full-fat coconut milk, chicken stock, onion, garlic and spring onions. If you can find gunco peas (also known as pigeon peas) or black eyed peas, you can replace one of the cans of kidney beans.
How to make Jerk Chicken Rice and Peas
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
Marinate the chicken
- Add all the marinade ingredients to a food processor and blend until you have a fairly smooth thick paste. Have a small taste and check whether you want to increase the heat level – if you like it spicy you can add another scotch bonnet pepper! If the paste tastes a little too salty you can add a little brown sugar to balance the flavor.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and use a sharp knife to slice through the skin a few times. Place in a large ziplock bag or suitable container. Add the marinade and coat the chicken and refrigerate overnight or for a few hours. The longer you marinate the chicken the more intense the flavor!
Make the jerk chicken rice and peas
- Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C (350°F / 180°C fan forced). Heat oil in your skillet and sear the chicken, in batches if necessary, for 3-5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Set aside for now.
- Add a splash of chicken stock to deglaze the pan and lower the heat. Add the onions and minced garlic and cook, stirring, for 5-7 minutes or until the onion is translucent and softened.
- Stir in the kidney beans, coconut milk and chicken stock. Place the browned chicken pieces back in the pan. Add the bay leaves, thyme sprigs and sping onions and transfer to the oven. Cook for 20-30 minutes.
- Take the pan out of the oven and use tongs to transfer the chicken onto a plate. Add the rice to the pan and stir to combine. Top with the chicken and cover the pan (if you don’t have a lid you can use two layers of foil to cover your baking dish).
- Cook, covered, for 20 minutes then check whether the rice is tender. If it needs further cooking, return the pan to the oven for another 5 minutes and check again.
Serve and enjoy!
Discard the bay leaves and thyme. Taste to see if you need to adjust the seasoning, adding salt and black pepper to taste. Serve garnished with finely chopped green onions.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Handling scotch bonnet peppers Please be careful when cooking with these spicy peppers, ideally using gloves and a separate cutting board, washing utensils well afterwards.
- Adjusting the heat levels Most of the heat is contained in the seeds and the membranes of the scotch bonnet pepper, so removing those will cut down on some of the spiciness. If you are really sensitive to spice you may want to use a milder chili such as jalapeño. If you like your jerk chicken hot, use two whole scotch bonnet peppers removing the stems.
- Can I use skinless chicken? You can use skinless (and boneless) chicken thighs or skinless drumsticks if preferred. This is preferable if you are using your crockpot as the skin won’t crisp up in a slow cooker. Chicken breasts are not ideal as they can dry out more easily.
- What type of rice should I use? This recipe has been tested with easy-cook long grain rice and that would be my recommendation overall as it cooks quickly. Different types of rice such as basmati or jasmine may require longer cooking or different amounts of liquid.
Alternative Cooking Methods
You easily can make this jerk chicken rice and peas recipe in your slow cooker. Prepare the jerk paste and marinate the chicken. Sear the chicken and cook the onions either in the slow cooker if it allows for searing or a separate pan. Add the beans, coconut milk, chicken stock, bay leaves and thyme and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours. Stir in the rice and cook on the HIGH setting for 30-40 minutes or until the rice is tender.
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Jerk chicken Rice and Peas
Video
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 3 green onions , roughly chopped
- 1 small onion , roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , peeled
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper , *see note 1
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp brown sugar (optional)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- ½ tbsp ground allspice
- ½ tbsp five spice powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Jerk Chicken Rice and Peas
- 1 large whole chicken, quartered or 8 chicken legs / 8 chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil or as needed
- 1 large onion , diced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 28 oz (800g) kidney beans , drained *see note 2
- 15 oz (400g) coconut milk , full fat
- 2 cups (500ml) chicken stock / broth
- 1 ½ cups (300g) easy-cook long grain rice
- 1 tbsp cold unsalted butter cubed (optional)
- 4 green onions
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
To serve
- green onions , finely sliced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
Instructions
Make the jerk chicken marinade
- Add all the marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend until you have a fairly smooth thick paste. Have a small taste and check whether you want to increase the heat level – if you like it spicy you can add another scotch bonnet pepper! If the paste tastes a little too salty you can add the brown sugar to balance the flavor.3 green onions, 1 small onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 scotch bonnet pepper, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 tsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, ½ tbsp ground allspice, ½ tbsp five spice powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper
- Marinate the chicken
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and use a sharp knife to slice through the skin a few times. Place in a large ziplock bag or suitable container. Add the marinade, coat the chicken and refrigerate overnight or for at least two hours. The longer you marinate the chicken the more intense the flavor!1 large whole chicken, quartered
Cook the jerk chicken
- Pre-heat the oven to 400°F / 200°C (350°F / 180°C fan forced). Heat the vegetable oil in your skillet and sear the chicken over high heat, in batches if necessary, for 3-5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Set aside for now.2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Add a splash of chicken stock to deglaze the pan and lower the heat. Add the onions and minced garlic and cook, stirring, for 5-7 minutes or until the onion is translucent and softened.1 large onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Stir in the kidney beans, coconut milk, the marinade from the chicken, and chicken stock. Place the browned chicken pieces back in the pan. Add the bay leaves, thyme sprigs and green onions and transfer to the oven. Cook for 25 minutes.28 oz (800g) kidney beans, 15 oz (400g) coconut milk, 2 cups (500ml) chicken stock / broth, 1 tbsp cold unsalted butter, 4 green onions, 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Add the rice
- Take the pan out of the oven and use tongs to transfer the chicken onto a plate. Add the rice to the pan and stir to combine. Top with the chicken, add small cubes of butter and cover the pan (if you don’t have a lid you can use two layers of foil to cover your baking dish).1 ½ cups (300g) easy-cook long grain rice
- Cook, covered, for 20 minutes then check whether the rice is tender. If it needs further cooking, return the pan to the oven for another 5 minutes and check again.
Serve and enjoy!
- Discard the bay leaves and thyme. Taste to see if you need to adjust the seasoning, adding salt and black pepper to taste. Serve garnished with finely chopped green onions.green onions, salt and freshly ground black pepper
Notes
- Note 1: be careful when cooking with scotch bonnet peppers, ideally using gloves and a separate cutting board, washing utensils well afterwards. Most of the heat is contained in the seeds and the membranes inside the pepper, so removing those will cut down on some of the spiciness. If you are really sensitive to spice you may want to use a milder chili such as jalapeño. If you like your jerk chicken spicy, use two whole scotch bonnet peppers removing the stem.
- Note 2: use one can kidney beans and once can gunco peas if preferred.
- To make in a slow cooker: prepare the jerk paste and marinate the chicken. Sear the chicken and cook the onions either in the slow cooker if it allows for searing or a separate pan. Add the beans, coconut milk, 1 1/2 cups (3785ml) chicken stock, bay leaves and thyme and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours. Stir in the rice and cook on the HIGH setting for 30-40 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
This is absolutely DELICIOUS!!! My tastebuds could not believe it. Thank you Lucy!
I used basmati rice and found it needed a lot longer. I ended up giving the rice an hour and it worked fine, maybe a little overdone though. When I make this again (because I absolutely will!), I’ll put the rice in when it first goes in the oven and give it the full 45 minutes, then check on it and see if it needs longer.
I also thought that 8 chicken legs (which I used instead of a whole chicken) was a ridiculous amount of chicken and was worried things wouldn’t fit inside my 5.7L dutch oven! But it all worked out in the end. The only thing I’m worried about is that I think the ratio of chicken to rice and peas is too high still, so when I remake this, I might try doing just 4 chicken legs and increasing the amount of rice and peas.
I also found that using just 1 pepper meant that the spice level was too dilute in the whole big dish. Next time I reckon I will use 4 peppers, which seems like a proportionate number of peppers to use for a big dish like this.
But this is still fantastic, and I will definitely make this again. The rice is so flavourful, and I could tell this was going to be amazing from the moment I made the marinade as it smelled incredible.
Hi Laura thanks so much for your comment!