Jerk chicken
This Caribbean classic as served at Great British Pub Award-winning and number 37 on the Top 50 Gastropubs list, the Red Lion & Sun in Highgate, north London, is sweet and succulent, but has a spicy jerk kick.
Ingredients (serves 21 portions – 3 pieces per portion)
For the marinade
■ 8 chickens, each cut into 8 pieces and left on the bone
■ 300ml Heinz ketchup
■ 4tbsp tomato purée
■ 250ml Kikkoman soy sauce
■ 180g Demerara sugar
■ 60g crushed garlic
■ Half bunch of thyme, finely chopped
■ 1 jar of Tropical Sun Jamaican Jerk seasoning
■ 100ml of vegetable oil
For the sauce
■ 2kg finely chopped red onion
■ 6kg finely chopped mixed peppers
■ Half bunch of thyme, finely chopped
■ 100g crushed garlic
■ 350ml Kikkoman soy sauce
■ Jerk seasoning
Caramel for the sauce
■ 700g Demerara sugar
■ 450ml Heinz ketchup
Jamaican-style rice
■ 1kg basmati rice
■ 250g butter
■ 70g coconut butter
■ 700g kidney beans
■ Salt and pepper to taste
■ 4tbsp tomato purée
Method
■ To make the marinade, mix together the ketchup, tomato purée, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, thyme and jerk seasoning in a big bowl. Then add the oil and mix well.
■ Place the chicken in a gastronorm tray and add the marinade. Mix it in with your hands until all the chicken is covered and then leave it in the fridge overnight.
■ Put the red onion, peppers, garlic and thyme in a big pot and put a lid on to cook for about one hour (make sure you stir the veg so you don’t burn it). While this is cooking, you can start making the caramel to add to the sauce later.
■ Put the Demerara sugar in a pot on a medium heat to melt, stirring frequently so you don’t burn it. Once the sugar is melted, whisk in the ketchup and tomato purée – be careful as it will create a lot of steam while doing this.
■ Once the veg has softened add the jerk seasoning, soy sauce and caramel. Leave this to cook for about two hours. Season
with salt.
■ Take the chicken out of the fridge and divide it into three gastronorm trays and roast in the oven at 200°C until the chicken is cooked. Then leave to cool, portion out and finish on the char-grill to give colour. About 15 minutes before taking it out of the oven, begin work on the rice.
■ To make the Jamaican-style rice, in a pot add water, rice, butter (in pieces) and salt. Cook the rice. When the water has dissolved and the rice is still hot, add in the grated coconut butter and season with salt and pepper.
■ Fry a sliced, skin-on plantain in hot oil to serve on the side.
And to drink?
The Red Lion & Sun’s extensive wine list won owner Heath Ball’s pub the title of Best Wine Pub at the recent Great British Pub Awards and, as such, the owner recommends pairing this dish with a glass of Josef Chromy Delikāt Riesling.
Ball says: “The sweetness is balanced by low alcohol and fresh natural acidity. Fresh floral and mineral characters are evident on the nose and the palate shows balance and length.
“This wine is the best thing to serve with spicy food and, at 7.5% ABV, you can drink it like water.”