Street Party Jerk Chicken, Rice & Peas

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ 425°F/ Gas 7

Chop the spring onions finely, discarding the roots

Drain and rinse the kidney beans

Heat a pot (with a lid) with 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil over a medium heat

Once hot, add the spring onion and cinnamon and cook for 30 sec, or until fragrant, stirring constantly

Stir in the rice, then add the kidney beans

Add 350ml [700ml] water to the pot with a lid and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to very low and cook, covered, for 10-15 min or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked

Once cooked, remove from the heat and keep covered until serving

Meanwhile, peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic

Cut 1/2 [1] chilli in half lengthways, scrape the seeds out with a teaspoon and chop finely

Tip: keep the seeds in if you dare!

Strip the thyme leaves from their stems and chop finely

Add 1-2 tsp vegetable oil to an oven-proof pan over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add the chicken skin-side down and cook for 6-7 min, or until golden and crispy

Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, allspice, honey, garlic, vinegar, thyme, chilli (can't handle the heat, go easy!) and 1 tbsp [2 tbsp] sugar for the jerk sauce

Once crispy, transfer the chicken from the pan to a plate 

Add the jerk sauce to the pan with 3 tbsp [6 tbsp] water and stir to combine

Return the chicken, skin-side up

Place the pan into the oven to cook for 5-8 min, or until cooked through

Once done, transfer the cooked chicken to a clean chopping board to cool slightly 

Return the pan to a medium heat, bring the sauce to the boil and cook for 1-2 min or until a sticky sauce remains, then remove from the heat