Jamaica's Most Popular Dish: Jerk Chicken, Rice and Beans, and Fried Plantains

Jamaica's most popular meal. It is so delicious! You can even make this meal at home without a grill!

Cuisine: Jamaican

Course: Dinner

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Serves: 4

Prep Time: 20 min

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients	Instructions
4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs	Step 1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2 green plantains	Step 2 Combine wet and dry jerk seasoning in a large bowl.
1 cup Jasmin rice	Step 3 Cover chicken thighs thoroughly in combined jerk seasoning. I highly recommend using gloves for this step because the jerk seasoning is spicy. If you get it on your hands then touch your face it can be painful.
3 green or spring onions	Step 4 Spray glass baking dish with cooking spray or use extra vegetable oil to grease pan and prevent sticking. Place chicken thighs in the greased glass baking dish. Try not to overlap them so they cook evenly throughout.
1 green scotch bonnet pepper	Step 5 Once oven is preheated, bake chicken for 45 min - 1 hour or until the internal temperature is between 175 -185 degrees Fahrenheit. I used this thermometer to check my chicken.
4 garlic cloves	Step 6 While the chicken is cooking, wash and dry green onions, thyme, the scotch bonnet pepper, and the bay leaf. Separate whites and greens of the onions. Slice whites of the onions and chop greens into 2-inch sections.
6 allspice berries	Step 7 Clean garlic. You can use this trick or just leave the cloves whole.
1 bay leaf	Step 8 Wash rice in a glass bowl. Add water, swirl with your hand, and drain. Repeat until the water is clear after swirling with your hand.
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme)	Step 9 Slice plantains. Chop off both ends and make a small slice in the skin from top to bottom. You should be able to peel the skin off the plantain. It might be a bit tricky. Once the skin is removed, cut the plantain in half and make 1/4 inch thick slices (longways).
3 teaspoons dry jerk seasoning (I recommend getting the smaller size if you can find it at a grocery store, but this is the type of seasoning I used)	Step 10 Add olive oil, onion greens, onion whites, and garlic to a pot. Cook on medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add in allspice berries, salt, bay leaf, thyme, and the scotch bonnet pepper (it should be whole). Stir lightly to combine. It is key that you do not pop the scotch bonnet pepper open (THE SEEDS ARE HOT HOT). Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onions and garlic start to get soft.
140g wet jerk seasoning (half the glass bottle)	Step 11 Add coconut milk to the pot with spices. Once coconut milk is in, quickly fill up 2/3 of the can with water and add that to the pot as well. This will prevent the coconut milk from burning. At this time, you can also add the rice and beans (this is the best can opener I've ever had by the way!). Gently mix ingredients. When the pot begins to bubble, turn it down to low heat and cover with a lid. Cook for about 20 minutes or until you see no more bubbling.
400ml coconut milk (1 can)	Step 12 Heat a pan on high heat with vegetable oil (enough to cover the bottom for plantains). Fry plantains until they are golden brown on both sides. Add salt if desired. Plate and enjoy!
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or enough to fill the bottom of a frying pan)
cooking spray or additional 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

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