Jerk Chicken with Rice and Peas

This home-cook version pairs oven-roasted jerk chicken with coconut rice and kidney beans. Red and yellow peppers roast alongside the chicken, and a squeeze of lime brings everything together. The seasoning does the hard work, leaving you time to get the rice gently simmering.

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Serves: 4 · Prep: 15 mins · Cook: 45–55 mins

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Ingredients

Chicken and peppers

• 4 whole chicken legs (about 1.2 kg)
• 30 g Spice Cartel Jamaican Jerk
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 2 peppers, sliced into wide strips
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Rice and peas

• 250 g long-grain rice, rinsed
• 1 × 400 g tin kidney beans, drained
• 200 ml coconut milk
• 300 ml water
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 spring onions, sliced

Method

1. Season and roast. Heat the oven to 210°C conventional / 190°C fan. Pat the chicken dry, rub with the oil and Jamaican Jerk, then place skin-side up in a roasting tray. Roast for 45–55 minutes in total; larger legs may take longer.
2. Add the peppers. When the chicken has been cooking for 25 minutes, add the pepper strips to the tray and turn them through the cooking juices. Return to the oven. Cover the chicken loosely with foil if the coating colours too quickly.
3. Cook the rice. About 20 minutes before the chicken is due, put the rinsed rice, drained beans, coconut milk, water, thyme and spring onions in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, stir once, cover and turn the heat very low. Cook for 12–15 minutes or according to the rice pack, until tender and the liquid is absorbed. Add a little hot water if needed. Remove from the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes.
4. Check and serve. Check each chicken leg reaches 75°C for at least 30 seconds in the thickest part, away from the bone. Remove the thyme stems and fluff the rice. Serve with the chicken, peppers and lime wedges.

Serving ideas and cooking tips

• In this dish, 'peas' means the kidney beans cooked with the rice. Use tinned beans that are already cooked.
• Use a roomy tray so the peppers roast rather than sit piled on top of each other.
• The blend already contains salt. Taste the cooked rice before adding any extra seasoning.

Ready to cook? Buy Spice Cartel Jamaican Jerk and keep the recipe card handy in the kitchen.