Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa, Rice & Beans
A recipe to bring some Caribbean sunshine to your tastebuds. Succulent, caramelised, sticky chicken with a zingy sweet salsa and some rice and beans as the perfect traditional accompaniment - Caribbean food at its best. This would be great on the bbq in the summer, and now the sun is starting to shine, why not give this a go. It’s also full of goodness and fibre.
Serves 4
8 skinless boneless chicken thighs
Half a bunch spring onions, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded or not depending on how hot you like it and roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsps jerk seasoning
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp rum
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey (plus extra for drizzling)
3 fresh bay leaves
2 tbsps olive oil
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper
For the salsa:
1 ripe mango, skin removed and diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
400g cherry tomatoes on the vine, quartered
1 lime, zest and juice
1/2 tsp honey
Handful of coriander, roughly chopped
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper
For the rice and beans:
200g brown or wholegrain rice
2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Half bunch spring onions, finely sliced
1 lime, zest and juice
Handful of coriander, roughly chopped
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper
Add all the marinade ingredients for the chicken to a food processor and blitz until smooth. Put the chicken thighs in a glass tray or large bowl, pour over the marinade and make sure the meat is well coated in the marinade. Ideally, marinade overnight or for at least 2-3 hours in the fridge. Remove from the fridge 30 mins before you’re ready to cook.
Meanwhile, make the mango salsa by adding all the ingredients to a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Cook the rice according to the packet instructions, then return the cooked rice to the saucepan off the heat. Add the rest of the ingredients, season to taste and keep warm until ready to serve.
Heat the grill to high. Add the chicken thighs to a foil lined baking tray leaving any excess marinade behind, sprinkle a generous amount of seasoning over them. Grill for 12-15 minutes until slightly charred, caramelised and cooked all the way through. (You can mix 1 tbsp jerk seasoning with 1 tbsp olive oil and drizzle this over the top of the chicken for the final few minutes of cooking if you want extra charring). Drizzle over some honey for the final minute of cooking. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes.
Serve the chicken with any resting juices or caramelised bits from the tray, the salsa, rice and some extra lime wedges and coriander.