Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Jerk chicken:

2 tbsp oil

1 onion, diced

200g chicken (boneless, skinless thigh or breast) or veggie alternative, diced

1 tsp garlic puree or 2 finely sliced garlic cloves (optional)

200g sweet potato, diced (frozen pre-diced sweet potato or squash is fine)

2 carrots, diced

150ml water

1 tsp vinegar

1 tbsp jerk seasoning

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 red pepper, diced

400g tomatoes, chopped (or use 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes)

1 veg stock cube (optional)

1 tbsp tomato puree

Juice of ½ lemon

¼ tsp black pepper

2 tsp cornflour or tapioca starch mixed with 2 tsp water to make a paste

2 spring onions, sliced (optional)

Rice & peas:

1 mug rice (ideally basmati, but you can use others and just check package instructions for how long it takes to cook)

2 mugs water

1 400g tin kidney beans

50ml coconut milk (optional)

100g peas (frozen is fine)

1 veg stock cube (optional)

Veg Portions / Serving: 2.5

Here’s our recommended recipe, or you can simply adapt your own recipe – just keep the veg chunky and serve with a reminder to the children to Eat Them to Defeat Them and say “Feel the heat veggies!”

Method:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and add the diced chicken and onion. Cook for about 5 mins, until the chicken begins to colour. If using veggie alternative, check the instructions on the packet, but most can be added into the pan with the veg later as they cook quickly.

Add the garlic, sweet potato, carrot, and water to the pan and continue to cook until the sweet potato begins to soften, about 10 mins.

Add the vinegar, jerk seasoning, brown sugar, red pepper, tomatoes (and veggie alternative, if using) to the pan, reduce the heat to low, and allow to cook slowly until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5-10 mins. Add the veg stock cube, if using, tomato puree, lemon juice and black pepper to the pan, stir well, then pour in the cornflour paste and stir thoroughly, continuing to cook for 5-10 minutes until it thickens slightly before adding the sliced spring onion, if using.

For the rice and peas, add the rice and water to a saucepan and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to leave it simmering until the rice is soft and tender and the water is nearly absorbed (check packet instructions to know how long this will be). At this point, add the kidney beans, coconut milk if using, peas and veg stock cube if using, cover the pan and continue to cook for a few more mins until the rice is tender, light and fluffy.

Remove from the heat and serve with the Caribbean Jerk Chicken.