Homestyle Jerk Chicken

Recipe courtesy Nigella Kitchen, Food Network

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1 hr 25 min

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 6 chicken breasts, without skin or bone (or chicken supreme joints, with the wing bones still attached) 
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice 
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme 
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger 
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled 
• 1 1 3/4 piece gingerroot, peeled and cut into chunks 
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar 
• 1/4 cup dark rum 
• 1/4 cup lime juice 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce 
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar 
• 2 fresh red chiles, whole 
• 1 onion, peeled and quartered 
• Rice and Peas

Directions

Slash the chicken breasts, 3 slashes a breast, each cut about 3/4-inch deep on the diagonal. Put in a rectangular dish, slashed-side down. Put all the other ingredients in the processor and blitz to a dark, earthy paste and pour and spread over the chicken pieces and leave to marinate out of the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours or in the refrigerator, (covered), overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Double-line a shallow roasting pan with aluminium foil. Tip into it the chicken with its marinade, slashed side up and roast for 30 minutes.

Take the pan out of the oven, just to pour off excess watery juices. Use a pastry brush and spoon to place any paste back on the chicken and cook for a further 30 minutes, by which time the chicken will be cooked through and tender with a thick fiery crust. You could get started on the Rice and Peas once the chicken's back in the oven for its final stint.

For serving: Pile up each dinner plate with coconutty rice and sit a piece of hot-crusted chicken proudly on top.

Make Ahead Note: Jerk paste can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to non-metallic bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface. Cover bowl tightly with second layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate. The chicken can be marinated up to 24 hours in advance. Cover dish tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Freeze Note: The chicken in its marinade can be frozen, in a resealable bag, for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator - put the bag in a bowl to catch any leaks.

Making leftovers right: Should you have leftovers - and don't count on it if you're 6 round the table - refrigerate as soon as cooled and within 1 to 2 days you can simply snip some chicken into the rice and reheat until piping hot. However, I love this in a new form: a thick, coconutty soup punctured by fiery bursts of tender meat. Add some coconut milk and chicken broth to the leftover rice, along with some freshly grated gingerroot and a spritz of lime juice, and heat up, adding the chicken, cut into small strips or small chunks, once it starts bubbling. When the meat's piping hot, season to taste then pour your soup into a bowl (or bowls) and scatter with freshly chopped cilantro and slurp gratefully.