Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Rice & Peas

Serves: 4 | Prep time: 20 minutes + 2 hours of marinating | Cook time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Difficulty: Medium

Sweet, spicy and smoky, Jamaican jerk chicken is one of the world’s most popular dishes for good reason! The key ingredient to the dish is Tropical Sun jerk seasoning paste, made by hand to a traditional Jamaican recipe in Central Village, Spanish Town.

Ingredients

• 4-6 chicken breasts or thighs
• 2 tablespoons Tropical Sun Dry Jerk Seasoning

Jerk Seasoning Marinade:

• 3 tablespoons Tropical Sun Jerk Seasoning Paste
• 2 tablespoons Tropical Sun Jerk BBQ Sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chopped thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Tropical Sun Ground Black Pepper
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Rice & Peas:

• 1 tin (400g) Tropical Sun Gungo Peas, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups vegetable stock (dissolve 1.5 Tropical Sun Vegetable Stock Cubes in approx 750ml boiled water and allow to cool)
• 2 stalks spring onion, finely chopped
• 4 stems fresh thyme
• 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 whole Tropical Sun Whole Pimento (Allspice) Berries
• 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, grated
• 1 cup Tropical Sun 100% Natural Coconut Milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups Tropical Sun Premium Basmati Rice

Method

1. Rub each piece of chicken with the dry jerk seasoning and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
2. To make the jerk marinade; mix together the jerk seasoning paste, BBQ sauce, garlic, thyme, salt, black pepper, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and olive oil. Cover the chicken with the marinade and rest in fridge for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight.
3. Cover the gungo peas with vegetable stock in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Add the spring onion, thyme, whole scotch bonnet pepper, garlic, pimento and ginger. Stir in the coconut milk and salt and bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Wash the rice thoroughly with cold water, add to the saucepan and stir. Cover and allow to come to a boil, then turn down to a low heat. Cook until rice grains are tender, approximately 30-40 minutes.
5. Cook the marinated jerk chicken on the BBQ (if you’re unsure of cooking your chicken on the BBQ you can cook in the oven or air fryer at 200°C for 20 – 25 minutes and finish off on the BBQ.
6. Once the rice is cooked and has absorbed the liquid, remove from the heat and let steam for 10 minutes. Discard the thyme stems, whole pimento and scotch bonnet and use a fork to fluff up the rice.
7. Serve the chicken with the rice & peas and some hot sauce if you like it extra spicy!