Gluten Free Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken, Rice and Peas and Roasted Lime

A twist on classic Caribbean Jerk Chicken slow cooked in a sweet and fiery Jerk glaze before crisping up in the grill. Served with roasted limes and authentic rice and peas, this recipe is a solid family favorite!

Feeds 2 adults; 1 toddler with leftovers

This isn't your authentic Jerk Chicken recipe, well not fully. The term jerk refers to both the spices that are used and to the technique applied to the protein. We've got the spices down, so in that sense of the recipe, we're on point. I didn't bother with the technique, though. Instead of jerking the chicken around to tenderize it and coax it to break down, I've allowed the slow cooker to do all the hard work. The crock pot tenderizes and cooks the meat and I just finish off with an extra drizzle of the sweet and hot glaze before letting it crisp up in the grill/broiler. It's a you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours kind of relationship and I completely dig that.

I was born on a US military base in the Caribbean. While none of my immediate family are Caribbean, I believe location plays an important role in a person's make up and I consistently find myself inspired by and enthralled with Caribbean food. We only lived in the Caribbean for about 2 years and I don't remember much about it (other than what I see on slightly embarrassing home videos) but food from the region resonates with me.

I love how easy this dish is and how much flavor you can really pack into that glaze. I stored the leftover glaze (that wasn't contaminated by raw chicken) in a jar in the fridge for two weeks and used it like you would barbecue sauce. Unbelievable.

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Ingredients:

For the Jerk Glaze
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1 inch fresh ginger, chopped
1 tbsp thyme
1 Scotch bonnet chilli, stemmed and deseeded
2 tsp all spice
2 tbsp molasses
2 limes
3 garlic cloves
6 large bone-in chicken thighs
8 spring onions, sliced
salt

For the Jamaican Rice and Peas
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp all spice
1 can red kidney beans
2 spring onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
200g basmati
300ml water
400ml coconut milk
salt

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Instructions:

Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken, Rice and Peas and Roasted Lime

1. Combine all of the ingredients for the glaze except the chicken and the limes in a food processor and process to combine. Pour 1/2 of the mixture into the pot of your slow cooker and pour the other half into a container and refrigerate.
2. Add the chicken to the slow cooker and turn to coat well in the mixture. Cook on low for about 5 hours until chicken is tender.
3. Remove the chicken from the slowcooker and place skin-side down on a wire rack situated over a baking tray or cookie sheet lined with foil. Cut the limes in half and place skin side up on the wire rack. Brush chicken with some of the refrigerated, reserved glaze and broil over high flame until crispy and charred, about 10 minutes. Flip chicken over and brush other side with glaze and broil again for about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the rice and peas by combining all but the kidney beans in a large saucepan over high heat. When the contents have started boiling reduce heat to medium, cover and cook about 10 minutes.
5. Add the beans to the sauce pan cover and take off heat.
6. Serve the chicken with the rice and peas and roasted lime with a bit of the extra glaze.