Jerk Chicken Rice and Peas

Spice up your life with my easy Jerk Chicken Rice and Peas recipe. Use a homemade Jerk chicken marinade (or a jarred one for convenience) to create this classic Jamaican dish all one in one pot. This flavor-packed meal will bring some spicy Caribbean sunshine to your dinner table!

Looking for an easy one pot chicken dinner that will literally knock your socks off? Look no further – this jerk chicken rice and peas is bursting with flavor thanks to the Jamaican jerk chicken marinade. The coconut rice and kidney beans temper the spice and make this one pot wonder a true marvel!

To avoid extra dirty dishes, will need a cast iron braiser that can be used on the stove to sear the chicken and then the oven to finish cooking our jerk chicken rice and peas. I foolishly used a skillet and then a baking dish creating a bit of extra work for myself.

Jerk Chicken Origins (With a Side of Rice and Peas)

Jerk chicken is a Jamaican dish whose origins can be traced back to escaped enslaved Africans. The former slaves escaped to the mountains where they eventually blended their culinary traditions with the cooking methods of the Taíno, the indigenous people of the Caribbean.

‘Jerk’ doesn’t just refer to the seasoning or the spicy marinade, but also to the cooking style adapted from the Taíno who were “jerking” (cooking or smoking) meat on the aromatic native pimento wood of the allspice tree.

Allspice berries are also an essential ingredient of the spicy jerk rub which also uses fiery scotch bonnet peppers, green onions, garlic, thyme, five spice powder, soy sauce to create a complex addicting flavor that’s smoky, sweet, spicy and fruity all at once!

But here’s the thing, jerk chicken can be as spicy or as mild as you want it to be. Feel free to adjust the amount of peppers you use according to your taste!

Rice and Peas is a traditional Jamaican side dish that is often paired with jerk chicken. Despite the name, this coconut rice dish contains beans, traditionally kidney bean and / or gungo peas which are a type of bean (with me so far?). Don’t picture frozen peas – they have no place in this recipe.

Jerk Chicken Rice and Peas Ingredients

Cooking the rice and peas with the chicken infuses the rice with the flavors of the jerk marinade creating an intensely flavored one pot dish that will be a hit with family and friends. I am including a recipe for homemade jerk marinade, but you can also a jar of jerk paste to make this easier on yourself.

• For the Jamaican jerk chicken marinade, you will need onion, scallions, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper, vegetable oil, soy sauce, ground allspice, five spice powder, grated nutmeg, thyme, salt and pepper. The benefit of making your own marinade? You can control the spice level by adjusting how much scotch bonnet you add.
• And now the chicken – using bone-in chicken such as chicken legs, thighs or a whole chicken cut into quarters is best for jerk chicken recipes as it keeps the meat tender and moist. You can keep the skin on the chicken or remove it if you prefer.
• Finally for the rice and peas you will need easy-cook long grain rice, kidney beans, full-fat coconut milk, chicken stock, onion, garlic and spring onions. If you can find gunco peas (also known as pigeon peas) or black eyed peas, you can replace one of the cans of kidney beans.

How to Make Jerk Chicken Rice and Peas

↓ For the full ingredients and detailed method, jump to the recipe card.

Marinate the Chicken

1. Add all the marinade ingredients to a food processor and blend until you have a fairly smooth thick paste. Have a small taste and check whether you want to increase the heat level – if you like it spicy you can add another scotch bonnet pepper! If the paste tastes a little too salty you can add a little brown sugar to balance the flavor.
2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and use a sharp knife to slice through the skin a few times. Place in a large ziplock bag or suitable container. Add the marinade and coat the chicken and refrigerate overnight or for a few hours. The longer you marinate the chicken the more intense the flavor!

Make the Jerk Chicken Rice and Peas

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C (350°F / 180°C fan forced). Heat oil in your skillet and sear the chicken, in batches if necessary, for 3-5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Set aside for now.
2. Add a splash of chicken stock to deglaze the pan and lower the heat. Add the onions and minced garlic and cook, stirring, for 5-7 minutes or until the onion is translucent and softened.
3. Stir in the kidney beans, coconut milk and chicken stock. Place the browned chicken pieces back in the pan. Add the bay leaves, thyme sprigs and sping onions and transfer to the oven. Cook for 20-30 minutes.
4. Take the pan out of the oven and use tongs to transfer the chicken onto a plate. Add the rice to the pan and stir to combine. Top with the chicken and cover the pan (if you don’t have a lid you can use two layers of foil to cover your baking dish).
5. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes then check whether the rice is tender. If it needs further cooking, return the pan to the oven for another 5 minutes and check again.

Serve and Enjoy!

Discard the bay leaves and thyme. Taste to see if you need to adjust the seasoning, adding salt and black pepper to taste. Serve garnished with finely chopped green onions.

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Handling scotch bonnet peppers Please be careful when cooking with these spicy peppers, ideally using gloves and a separate cutting board, washing utensils well afterwards.
• Adjusting the heat levels Most of the heat is contained in the seeds and the membranes of the scotch bonnet pepper, so removing those will cut down on some of the spiciness. If you are really sensitive to spice you may want to use a milder chili such as jalapeño. If you like your jerk chicken hot, use two whole scotch bonnet peppers removing the stems.
• Can I use skinless chicken? You can use skinless (and boneless) chicken thighs or skinless drumsticks if preferred. This is preferable if you are using your crockpot as the skin won’t crisp up in a slow cooker. Chicken breasts are not ideal as they can dry out more easily.
• What type of rice should I use? This recipe has been tested with easy-cook long grain rice and that would be my recommendation overall as it cooks quickly. Different types of rice such as basmati or jasmine may require longer cooking or different amounts of liquid.

Alternative Cooking Methods

You easily can make this jerk chicken rice and peas recipe in your slow cooker. Prepare the jerk paste and marinate the chicken. Sear the chicken and cook the onions either in the slow cooker if it allows for searing or a separate pan. Add the beans, coconut milk, chicken stock, bay leaves and thyme and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours. Stir in the rice and cook on the HIGH setting for 30-40 minutes or until the rice is tender.

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I hope you love my Jerk Chicken Rice and Peas recipe as much as we do! Please leave a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and share your photos on Instagram with @supergolden88 and the tag #Nusde