SPICY JAMAICAN JERK CHICKEN AND RICE & PEAS

Rice and Peas (which is, technically, rice and beans) is one of the most quintessential Jamaican dishes out there. It is a regular dish for Sunday dinners and holidays, and it would be sorely missed if it weren’t there. Every family (and every family cook) makes their version a bit differently, and it’s almost always done by feel. In my family, my mother, grandmother, and aunt’s rice and peas are all distinguishable from one another! Jerk Chicken has always been a staple at our parties and a regular on the dinner table.

Ingredients

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

8 pieces bone-in chicken, drumsticks and thighs

½ cup of lemon juice (to clean chicken)

½ jar of Walker’s Wood jerk seasoning

2 tsp. crushed garlic

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 medium-sized onion, chopped

1 cup of water

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F

Wash chicken with lemon juice and water, then drain

Rub Walker’s Wood jerk seasoning, crushed garlic, dried thyme, and chopped onion into the chicken (optional: leave to marinate for at least one hour)

Place chicken in shallow, ovenproof dish and add 1 cup of water. Cover with aluminum foil

Bake for one hour, covered

After one hour, remove aluminum foil. Continue baking for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through

RICE & PEAS

1 (14-ounce) can of coconut milk (not cream)

½ cup of dried red kidney beans

½ tsp. crushed garlic

¼ tsp. thyme

2 cups of white rice

1 scotch bonnet pepper (aka habanero pepper)

Water

Fill a 2-3 quart pot halfway with water. Add red kidney beans and boil, continually adding water to keep beans covered

When beans are tender (and there should still be about 3 inches of water over the beans), add coconut milk, rice, garlic, thyme, and entire (and uncut) scotch bonnet to pot

Continue to boil until only a thin layer of water is still covering the rice

Cover pot and reduce heat to low

Simmer until liquid is evaporated, about 45-60 minutes, or until rice is tender