| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 55 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon whole allspice
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 8 scallions, coarsely chopped
- Leaves of 8 fresh thyme sprigs
- 6 large cloves garlic, halved
- Zest and juice of 2 large limes
- 1 Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed, quartered and seeded
- One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), cut into 10 serving pieces
- Kosher salt
- Canola oil, for the grill pan
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Kosher salt
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- For the chicken: put the butter, soy sauce, allspice, peppercorns, cinnamon, nutmeg, scallions, thyme, garlic, lime zest and juice, chile and ginger in a food processor and pulse, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary with a rubber spatula, until a paste forms.
- Arrange the chicken pieces on a baking sheet, rub with the marinade and generously sprinkle with salt. Let marinate for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Heat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat and brush lightly with canola oil.
- Place the chicken skin-side down on the grill pan. Reserve any leftover marinade on the baking sheet to use later. Cook until slightly charred and marked, flipping halfway through, 5 to 8 minutes total (the chicken will not be fully cooked, it will finish cooking in the oven).
- Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the chicken skin-side up on the rack, leaving ample space between each piece. Top the chicken with the reserved marinade from the baking sheet and bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes.
- For the rice: Put the rice in a large bowl, cover with 4 cups cold water and soak for 30 minutes. Strain well, reserving the soaking liquid.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium. Add the butter and onions and cook until they are translucent but not brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin seeds, cayenne and cinnamon stick and toast for about 1 minute. Add the drained rice and stir gently until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add the reserved soaking water and gently stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until the water has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let rest for about 10 minutes, then season with salt and fluff with a fork. Remove the cinnamon stick.
- For the green beans: fill a large bowl with ice water and set a colander inside the ice bath. Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil. Add a generous handful of salt. (The water should taste like sea water.) Add the green beans and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to the colander ice bath.
- When ready to serve, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and toss in the beans to warm them gently. Top with the lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt.
- For the honey glaze: Simmer the honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it foams and turns golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the vinegar and return the pan to the stove. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes more to allow the vinegar and honey to cook together. Season with salt and set aside.
- Place a large spoonful of rice on each plate and arrange the chicken and green beans around each portion. Drizzle the chicken with the honey glaze.
Reviews
Oa4
Loved the versatility of this marinade. I made it with pork chops instead of the chicken. Just like Alex, I started them in a cast iron skillet but finished them in the oven. They were quite possibly the most flavorful and absolutely delicious pork chops I’ve eaten. Next time I will try it with the chicken.
After seeing Alex make this dish on Worst Cooks, we needed to try it. Of course this is three recipes in one. The jerk chicken is absolutely delicious! We used a Habanero pepper (no scotch bonnets at the store), and it still had plenty of heat in the marinade. NOTE: the dry spices NEED to be ground in the food processor before adding the rest of the marinade ingredients. That is how Alex prepared it, but the recipe does not state that. Otherwise you’ll be breaking teeth on whole allspice and peppercorns. The rice pilaf was simple, and perfectly seasoned with the cinnamon stick and cumin seeds. We loved this dish and will definitely be making it again.
So delicious!