It’s turned slightly wintery again so lets bulk up with a delicious, easy chicken supper.
As I write, it appears to be November once more. Depressing, depressing, depressing. The forecast for tomorrow is no better and with a Bank Holiday weekend in the offing the sun they are predicting will have disappeared from your weather app before you know it. However, I do like to look on the bright side of things occasionally *well I try to* so let’s see the dire weather as an excuse to eat snuggy food and forget the salads for another week. This One Pot Jerk Chicken recipe is the absolute definition of comfort food and it’s light on washing up so this dish is full of tiny victories and I am delighted to share it with you today.
Chicken and rice, two huge staple ingredients in our house and loved by everyone. Sling in some spice and beans and this is simple food at it’s finest. The recipe calls for Jerk paste as opposed to powdered seasoning so do look out for it, they sell it in most supermarkets. I love spice, as does Ben, so was slightly heavy handed with my particular paste. But if you have a low spice threshold keep it to one tablespoon until you work out how spicy your Jerk paste is. This whole dish is soft, comforting and the chicken is golden and by no means dry. The beans add some extra bulk so this truly is a one pot dream. You could serve with a green just for sport and to keep up your end of the 5 a day offerings, but it would mean drafting in a second pan to wash up so it’s your call. This recipe comes to me via the Kitchn website, with their brilliant ideas, with huge thanks for the inspiration.
So, as I throw another log on the fire and turn the heating back on, you might want to get going on this recipe. You would have thought at nearly the start of May your supper offerings may be starting to lighten up, but no. Take lettuce off your shopping list and pop jerk seasoning paste on, it’s November again, summer was so last week.
This recipe will appear on Lucy Loves later this week.
One Pot Jerk Chicken Recipe
Serves 4 generously
You will need a lidded hob and oven proof casserole type of dish
- 1 kg bone in skin on chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon jerk seasoning paste, you may need more or less if yours is feisty
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed
- 200g rice, I used white basmati
- 1 x 400g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 250ml coconut milk
- 250ml chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
- 3 good sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoon vinegar, white if you have it
- Fresh thyme to garnish and a green vegetable to serve
Pre heat your oven to 160 degrees fan assisted.
Take your chicken thighs and add to a bowl with the jerk seasoning paste. Mix well ensuring the chicken is well coated. Take your casserole dish and put on the hob with a tablespoon of oil. Heat to medium high and add the jerk chicken thighs to the pan skin side down in an even layer. Leave untouched to brown for around 5 minutes or until the skin is crisp and brown. Carefully turn over and cook for another 3 minutes on the other side. Remove from the pan onto a plate.
To the pan juices, add your chopped onion and cook for around 3 minutes until golden and softening. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Stir in the rice, rinsed and drained beans then season with a generous half teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes then pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock. Bring to the boil and add the bay leaves then take off the heat. Place the chicken back into the pan on top of the rice and stock pouring any juices back into the pan. Pop the thyme sprigs on top then place the lid on and put into the pre heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the rice is tender and cooked through.
Remove the chicken to a plate and discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Stir the 2 teaspoons of vinegar into the rice, check for seasoning, then serve straight away with the chicken, garnished with some extra fresh thyme leaves.