Jerk chicken with rice & peas — chicken marinated in a fiery, fragrant jerk paste, then roasted or barbecued, served with coconut rice and kidney beans. A Jamaican classic.
Jerk chicken with rice and peas is the iconic taste of Jamaica — smoky, fiery marinated chicken alongside fragrant coconut rice and beans. The deeply spiced jerk marinade does the heavy lifting, so a little planning ahead delivers huge flavour. Cooked on the barbecue or in the oven, it's a feast worth celebrating.
Prep 30 min
Cook 45 min
Total 75 min
Medium
- 12 Chicken Thighs
- 1 tbs chopped Ginger
- 1/2 Onion
- 3 chopped Red Chilli
- Juice of 1 Lime
- 2 tbs Soy Sauce
- 2 tbs Vegetable Oil
- 3 tbs Brown Sugar
- 200g Basmati Rice
- 400g Coconut Milk
- 1 bunch Spring Onions
- 2 sprigs Thyme
- 2 cloves chopped Garlic
- 1 tbs Allspice
- 800g Kidney Beans
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Preparation
- To make the jerk marinade, combine all the marinade ingredients in a food processor with 1 tsp salt and blend to a thick purée — keep turning off the blender and stirring if it's slow to blend, but don't add water.
- Taste for seasoning: it should be quite salty but balanced. Add more chillies for heat, or more brown sugar if it tastes too salty or sour.
- Make a few slashes in the chicken thighs, pour over the marinade, and rub it into all the crevices. Cover and marinate overnight in the fridge.
- To barbecue, get the coals burning an hour or so ahead, add some wood chips if you like, and cook the chicken over slow, indirect heat for 30 minutes. To cook in the oven, heat to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, put the chicken in a roasting tin with the lime halves, and cook for 45 minutes until tender and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, prepare the rice and peas: rinse the rice in plenty of cold water, then tip into a large saucepan with all the remaining ingredients except the kidney beans. Season with salt, add 300ml cold water, and set over high heat. Once boiling, turn down to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the beans, cover, and leave off the heat for 5 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Squeeze the roasted lime over the chicken and serve with the rice and peas, and some hot sauce if you like.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Marinate the chicken overnight so the jerk flavours penetrate deeply.
- Don't add water to the marinade — keep it a thick, intense purée.
- Cook over slow, indirect heat on the barbecue, or roast gently, for tender, juicy chicken.
- Rinse the rice well and lay the aromatics on top so the rice and peas stays fragrant and fluffy.
Frequently Asked Questions
A blend of scotch bonnet, allspice (pimento), thyme, ginger and spring onion. Allspice and scotch bonnet are the signature notes.
Traditionally quite hot from the scotch bonnet. Adjust the number of chillies to your taste — you can make it as mild or fiery as you like.
Absolutely — roast the marinated chicken until tender and cooked through. A blast under the grill at the end adds char if you don't have a barbecue.
In Jamaica 'peas' means beans — usually kidney beans. The coconut rice and beans is the classic partner to jerk chicken.
