Jamaican Style Jerk Chicken

Jerk chicken is Jamaican classic. Deeply flavoursome marinated chicken dish.

2tsps Allspice, organic
½-1tsp Cayenne Chilli powder, organic
2tsps Ground Cinnamon, organic
2tsps Ground Ginger, organic
2tsps Whole Nutmeg, organic
6 chicken breasts
2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, peeled
4cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
60ml dark rum
60ml lime juice
60ml soy sauce
125ml cider vinegar
2 whole fresh red chillies
1 onion, peeled and quartered

Slash the chicken breasts, 3 slashes per breast, making each slash cut about 2cm deep into the meat on the diagonal. Put the chicken breasts into an oblong dish, slashed-sides down.
Put all the other ingredients into a food processor and blitz to a dark, earthy paste, then pour and spread over the chicken pieces and leave to marinate, out of the fridge, for 2-4 hours, or in the fridge, covered, overnight.
Preheat the oven to 200C. Double-line a shallow roasting tin with aluminium foil. Tip into it the chicken, with its marinade, placing the chicken breasts slashed-side up. Roast for 30 minutes.
Take the tin out of the oven and pour off any excess watery juices. Use a pastry brush and a spoon to place any paste that has fallen off the chicken back onto the chicken, then return it to the oven and cook for a further 30 minutes, by which time it will be cooked through and tender with a thick, fiery crust. Serve with rice and peas.

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