Jerk Chicken

THIS Caribbean staple is spicy and earthy. The scotch bonnet, allspice and thyme are the dominant flavours with the rest of the ingredients playing a harmonising role.

Serve with rice and peas or fries and homemade coleslaw and of course a few cans of ice cold red stripe lager.

Ingredients

Serves 4

8-12 Chicken pieces with skin on and scored

Marinade Ingredients

8 Large Spring onions chopped roughly Green ends only

1 large white mild onion cut into 1/8ths

8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly

1-2 Scotch bonnet chillies chopped in half. Be careful not to touch the cut ends.

Zest and juice from one whole lime

4 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar

3 teaspoons ground allspice 2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 Teaspoons ginger paste or fresh ginger

2 Tbsp Dark Rum

½ Cup Light Soy Sauce

½ Cup Orange Juice

Half cup white wine vinegar

Method

Purée the marinade ingredients using a food processor or a jug with a stick blender. Taste it and add more scotch bonnets and sugar to your taste.

Do not overdo the sugar as it will burn before the chicken is cooked. You can always sprinkle a little more on for the last 10 minutes if you wish.

Rub well into the chicken and marinate for 24 hours. Shake off the excess marinade and roast or barbecue until nicely browned and cooked through. Boil the left over marinade and then turn down to a simmer and use to baste the meat a couple of times during cooking and serve a little of this as a sauce with the chicken.