Jerk chicken and flatbreads

Preparation time

overnight

Cooking time

30 mins to 1 hour

Serves

Serves 4

Jerk chicken is a popular party dish for good reason. It will bring sunshine to your plate on the cloudiest of days.

By The Pigott Family

From Family Cooking Showdown

Ingredients

• 8 boneless chicken thighs, skin on (if possible)

For the jerk paste

• 5 Scotch bonnet chillies, seeds removed
• 1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
• 50g/1¾oz fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 lime, juice only
• 2 tbsp palm sugar or soft light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp ground allspice
• 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp dark rum
• 10–12 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
• ½ tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2cm/¾in fresh root ginger, roughly chopped
• splash fresh orange juice
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil, or enough to make a smooth paste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the flatbreads

• 50g/1¾oz butter, softened, cut into pieces
• 180ml/6fl oz whole milk
• 300g/10½oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• vegetable oil, for frying

Method

1. Put the jerk paste ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth, using enough oil and orange juice to create a thick paste. Smother the chicken in the paste, cover and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
3. To make the flatbreads, beat the butter and milk together in a bowl. Slowly mix in the flour and ½ teaspoon salt until you have a dough consistency.
4. Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface until smooth. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, place an ovenproof griddle pan over a high heat and cook the chicken on both sides until browned. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 40 minutes. (You could also cook this on a hot barbecue. Just make sure the chicken is fully cooked before serving.)
6. Place the rested dough on a lightly floured work surface and divide into quarters. Roll each quarter out to 3mm thick.
7. Using a heavy-based frying pan or skillet, heat a little oil over a medium heat and add a flatbread. Cook for 1–2 minutes on each sides, or until you reach your desired level of crispness. Serve the chicken with the warm flatbreads.