One Pot Caribbean-Style Spiced Chicken Thigh, 'Rice & Peas'

Before you begin...

This recipe takes around 5-10 min to prep, so get your casserole dish and all your ingredients ready, then wash your fruit and veg

Note: Make sure your dish is oven-proof and safe to use on the hob. Don't have one? Start cooking in a large, wide-based pan then transfer to an oven-proof dish and cover tightly with foil

Now, let's get started!

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7, then take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air

Heat a large, wide-based, oven-proof casserole dish with a small drizzle of vegetable oil and a small knob of butter over a medium-high heat

Peel and chop your brown onion[s] into wedges and crush your garlic open by squashing them with the side of a knife and remove the skins

Boil a kettle

Add the onion wedges to the dish with the crushed garlic and cook for 1-2 min

Whilst the onion and garlic is cooking, drain and rinse your black beans

Add your ground allspice and ground cumin to the dish with your white long grain rice, drained black beans and half your thyme (including the stalks!), then add your chicken stock mix and the creamed coconut to the dish with 300ml [390ml] [600ml] boiled water and mix everything together

Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper then bring to the boil over a high heat, once boiling, cover with a lid and put the dish in the oven for 20-25 min or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked

Add the remaining thyme (stalks and all!) to one side of a tin foil-lined baking tray and top with the chicken thighs

Drizzle with vegetable oil and sprinkle over your cayenne pepper (can't handle the heat? Go easy!), ground smoked paprika and a pinch of salt and pepper

Put the tray in the oven for 18-20 min or until cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your Caribbean-style spiced chicken thighs

Once the chicken has been in the oven for 5 min, cut a piece of tin foil per person approx. the size of an A3 sheet of paper and layer them over each other

Add your spinach to the middle with a few small knobs of butter, a generous grind of black pepper and 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] water

Scrunch the edges of the foil around the spinach to form a sealed parcel[s] then add to the other side of the baking tray with the chicken for the remaining 5-7 min

Once the rice is cooked, roll your lime[s] with your hand on a hard surface (to release more juice) and cut in half

Remove the dish from the oven and add the juice of half your lime[s], then set aside for 5 min to steam (keep the lid on!) – this is your 'rice & peas'