Jerk chicken Rice and Peas

5 from 1 vote

Spice up your life with this 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!

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Marinating2

Total Time3

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Caribbean

Keyword: Jerk Chicken Rice and Peas

Servings: - 6

Calories: 1243kcal

Author: Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes

Equipment

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

Video

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