A slight twist on the traditionally hot and spicy Caribbean BBQ dish.

I've never really cooked Caribbean food, this is my first attempt! Had a search for some recipes but couldn't really find anything that ticked all the boxes and would keep everybody happy. So, this is what I came up with, jerk marinated chicken with sweet potatoes, plantains all served with Rice and Peas! Probably not very authentic but very nice and a subtle introduction to the cuisine.

Serves 6

Marinade:

4 Spring Onions
2 TBS fresh thyme and Oregano (or 1tbs of dried)
4 Hot fresh Cayenne chillies
2 Cloves of garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp dried ginger powder
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tbs oil

For the curry:
5-6 chicken breasts
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1" cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp curry powder.
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp brown sugar
500ml chicken stock
2 large sweet potatoes, diced to 1cm cubes
2 large plantains (cooking bananas), diced to 1cm cubes
1 tbs mango chutney
salt and pepper

Rice with Peas:
400g American long grain rice
400g tinned kidney beans
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 tin coconut milk
salt and pepper

First, put all your marinade ingredients into a blender and purée. Cut your chicken breasts into two or three pieces, depending on size. Pour the marinade over the chicken and allow to sit for as long as possible (1-4 hours).

After marinading, scrape the marinade off the chicken and brown them off in a large cast iron pot in a little oil. Remove and set aside. Add some more oil, throw in the whole cinnamon stick and the bay leaves, fry for a few seconds then add the chopped onions and garlic. Fry for a few minutes until onions are soft. Add the remaining marinade along with the all spice and curry powder. Fry off for a minute then add the diced sweet potatoes. Fry for another couple minutes.

Add the chicken back to the pot, season well, add enough stock to cover everything. Season well. Simmer, covered, on a low heat for 20mins.

Prepare the rice. Gently fry the chopped onion in a saucepan for 5 mins in some sunflower oil. Add the rice. Stir and gently fry for a couple minutes. Add enough water to cover the rice by 2cm. Cook gently until all the water is absorbed. Add the tinned kidney beans and coconut milk (try to add only the thick, creamy part of the can and discard the water). Season well and stir. Keep on a low heat and cover. Stir occasionally and turn off after 5 mins or when the rice is soft. Will keep it's heat well with the lid left on, so don't worry too much about timing.

Now add your plantain, brown sugar, lime juice and mango chutney to the curry. Cook on for another 10minutes or until the sweet potato and plantains are nice and soft. Thicken with cornflour and water if required.

Serve and enjoy!