Food: cheat's jerk chicken

With the weather set to be stunning over the next few days, I'm sure they'll be more than a few BBQs on the offing.

Unfortunately, we won't be joining them as our tiny flat in London doesn't even have a stamp sized patch of greenery to call our own! sob sob.

However, I was keen to share this recipe. Rather than just adding normal sausages and burgers to the BBQ, why not try some marinading chicken legs? I shared my recipe for real jerk chicken here, but I thought I'd let you know how I got on with a Sainsbury's* pre-made version if you're short for time/want to cheat!

The bottled marinade was really quick and easy to use. You simply pour the marinade over the 10 chicken legs. It's supposed to be used on 8 but I'm stingy and like to make things go further so I used 10 (which were covered very generously by the way).

Leave to marinade for at least 40 minutes.

Then place on a hot BBQ or in an oven at 180 degrees celsius for 45 minutes. Make sure the meat is cooked through, especially when using a BBQ!

The end result? I was pretty impressed with the Sainsbury's marinade. It was authentic in that is used Scotch Bonnet chillies and as such was pretty spicy. Personally, I'd have preferred it even more spicy. The chicken legs were lovely and moist and full of jerk flavour.

What are your favourite BBQ staples? Do you have a favourite chicken marinade?

Food: Jerk Chicken Recipe

jerk chicken

I couldn't resist quickly adding this post as the weather's been so nice lately. It's a recipe for very spicy jerk chicken which makes a great alternative to sausages and burgers on the BBQ. It's just as easy to cook in the oven though. For a really authentic flavour, you'll need to use scotch bonnet chillies. But be warned; they're incredibly spicy. Just remove the seeds or use fewer chilies if you prefer less spice.

Serves 4
8 chicken thighs or legs (bone in)
1 bunch of spring onions (or 1 white onion), chopped
2 tsp ground all spice
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped finely
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 scotch bonnet chillies
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
Juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper

1. It's much easier to make the marinade if you have a food processor - simply whizz the ingredients together. Otherwise, you'll just need to chop the ingredients up very finely and then combine them in a bowl. Check the flavour - add a little more sugar if it's too sharp.
2. Slash the chicken deeply in a couple of places with a knife. Place the chicken into a sandwich bag, add the marinade. Allow to marinade for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of overnight.
2. Cook slowly over indirect heat on your BBQ for 30-40 minutes, until tender and blackened.  Otherwise, preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Place the chicken on a wire rack on an oven tray and cook for 1 hour, turning over the chicken half way. It's nice for the chicken to be a nice dark brown colour when you remove it as it'll taste more caramelised.