Jerk Chicken with Rice and Peas Cook it Clever Logo

Jerk Chicken with Rice and Peas

I still remember the first time I tried proper jerk chicken - not from a restaurant, but from a food truck at a huge outdoor food truck venue in Orlando, Florida. The place was packed with trucks serving food from all over the world, and the smell of jerk spices drifted across the whole venue. One bite of that spicy, tender chicken with creamy rice and peas and I was hooked, it's a food memory that I regularly try to recreate at home and makes for a perfect Saturday night fakeaway.

This homestyle version brings that same holiday, street food feeling straight into your kitchen. A homemade jerk marinade - packed with allspice, ginger, cinnamon, chilli and a splash of rum - gets blitzed into a paste and rubbed into slashed chicken breasts, so every bite is infused with flavour. It bakes low and slow until soft with a beautifully spiced crust, served on a bed of creamy coconut rice and peas.

It's become one of our absolute favourite meals at home, especially as the weather turns and you want something warming with a bit of a kick. If you fancy firing up the BBQ instead, this same marinade works brilliantly on chicken pieces cooked over coals for an even more authentic Jamaican experience.

This isn't a meal for those afraid of spice, however you can always dial down the use of chillies and cayenne pepper if you want a milder marinade that the whole family can enjoy.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

  • A proper flavour memory, recreated at home

This marinade captures that unmistakable jerk spice hit, so you get all the warmth and depth of the real thing without leaving your kitchen.

  • Perfectly balanced heat

The combination of chilli, cayenne and warming spices like allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg gives real depth of flavour, not just heat, so it's spicy without overwhelming.

  • Creamy, comforting rice and peas

The creamed coconut block turns simple rice and black beans into something rich and silky, the perfect partner to the spiced chicken.

  • Two cooking methods, one marinade

Oven-bake it for a cosy autumn dinner, or use the same marinade on the BBQ in summer for a more traditional Jamaican-style cook.

  • Make-ahead friendly

The chicken can be marinated the night before, so all you need to do on the day is bake and cook the rice.

2 Servings 45 Minutes

Ingredients

  1. Rum - 30 ml
  2. Cayenne Pepper - 1 tbsp
  3. Chicken Stock - 600 ml
  4. Cider Vinegar - 60 ml
  5. Cinnamon - 1 tbsp
  6. Creamed Coconut Block - 50 grams
  7. Dark Muscovado Sugar - 2 tbsp
  8. Dried Thyme - 1 tbsp
  9. Ground Allspice - 1 tbsp
  10. Ground Ginger - 1 tbsp
  11. Ground Nutmeg - 1 tbsp
  12. Lime Juice - 30 ml
  13. Long Grain Rice - 200 grams
  14. Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
  15. Soy Sauce - 30 ml
  16. Tinned Black Beans - 200 grams
  17. Brown Onion - 2
  18. Fresh Ginger - 15 grams
  19. Garlic Clove - 3
  20. Red Chilli - 1 1/2
  21. Spring Onions - 4
  22. Chicken Breast - 2

Method

  1. Use a sharp knife to make three deep diagonal cuts across each chicken breast, about 2cm (1 inch) deep, place the chicken into a roasting tin or ovenproof dish with the slashed side facing down.
  2. Add the dried spices, chilli, onions, garlic, ginger, sugar, rum, lime juice, soy sauce and cider vinegar to a food processor and blend into a thick, dark paste.
  3. Pour the paste over the chicken and coat it well. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours, or overnight for a deeper flavour.
  4. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F / Gas Mark 4). Roast the chicken for 30 minutes, keeping the slashed side facing down.
  5. Whilst the chicken is cooking, chop 1 onion, 1/2 red chilli and a clove of garlic. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan and add these ingredients to the pan, cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat.
  6. Once softened, add the rice, drained black beans, block of creamed coconut and chicken stock to the pan. Bring to the boil then put a lid on the saucepan and leave to cook on a low heat until the rice has absorbed the liquid, stirring occasionally.
  7. After 30 minutes, remove the dish from the oven, cover in foil and let it rest for 5 minutes.
  8. Pile a generous portion of the rice and beans onto a plate and top with the chicken breast and jerk sauce. Sprinkle the finished dish with sliced spring onions.

Hints and Tips

  • Slash the chicken before marinating

A few shallow cuts across the top of each breast help the marinade really penetrate the meat, so the flavour goes right through rather than just sitting on the surface.

  • Give it time in the fridge

An hour minimum is fine, but marinating overnight will give you an even deeper flavour if you can plan ahead.

  • Let everything rest before serving

Taking the chicken and rice off the heat and letting them sit for 5 minutes helps the flavours settle and makes the chicken easier to slice.

  • Remove the seeds for a milder heat

The chilli seeds carry a lot of the heat, so deseeding before chopping keeps things flavourful without tipping into too spicy, especially handy if you're cooking for little ones.

  • Try it on the BBQ

The same marinade works brilliantly on bone-in chicken pieces cooked over coals, giving you a smokier, more traditional Jamaican-style jerk chicken.

  • Finish with fresh spring onions

A scattering of sliced spring onions right before serving adds a fresh, sharp bite that cuts through the richness of the coconut rice.

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