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jerk-chicken

I am on a mission to find the greatest version of chicken and rice, if such even exists. We now travel to Jamaica, where we experience jerk chicken. I hope you packed your bags because right now we’re taking a one way trip to flavor town. I’ve had Jerk chicken a bunch, but this was my first time making it–I loved it so much the first time I ate it that I actually went right back and had it for breakfast the morning after. It all starts with the marinade, which has a bunch of scallion, garlic, ginger, and herbs. Scotch bonnets roundhouse kick you in the mouth with heat, and pimento, or allspice, bring the signature flavor of the dish. Now for the rice and peas, the perfect counterpart to serve alongside our chicken. We sweat down some onion, ginger, and garlic, before introducing our rice, kidney beans, and coconut milk. We let that simmer with more allspice, thyme, and a scotch bonnet to lend lightly perfume it without taking over. And finally, the main event. You can do this in the oven but I’m doing the og style by smoking with pimento wood. We finish it off over the hot coals, brushing with the leftover marinade to get it all nice and lacquered. You and I both knew that jerk chicken would be a contender in this series. That chicken was probably my favorite out of all the dishes yet. It’s smokey, spicy, sweet, salty, and each bite teleports you to the heart of flavor town. On a good day I’d shuffle this to my number one, and it joins the top 3 with a 9.3/10.

Ingredients