Jerk chicken with chilli pineapple salsa
After Karen appeared on Can’t Cook Won’t Cook in 1996, the retro show’s former host, Ainsley Harriott, joins us to surprise Karen and show her - and viewers at home - how to make mealtimes exciting with a delicious dish of jerk slashed chicken with pineapple salsa and rice and peas.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
225g (8oz) onions, quartered1-2 habaneros or scotch bonnet chillies, halved and seeded50g (2oz) fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped1/2 tsp ground allspicethe leaves from 15g (1/2oz) fresh thyme sprigs1 tsp freshly ground black pepper120ml (4fl oz) white wine vinegar120ml (4fl oz) dark soy sauce4 chicken breasts (skin on)
Chilli spiked pineapple salsa
1 Medium pineapple2 tablespoons caster sugar1 red chilli seeded and chopped1 inch of fresh ginger gratedGrated zest and juice of 2 limes1 red onion finely chopped1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint1 tablespoon chopped fresh corianderSalt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the marinade, place the onions, chillies, ginger, allspice, thyme, pepper, vinegar and soy sauce into a food processor and blend until smooth.
If time allows, bring the marinade to your butcher and ask him to vacuum pack it with the chicken. Not only does it avoid spills and strong smells in your fridge, the chicken will become meltingly tender from the marinade.
Slash each chicken breast three times so that the marinate can penetrate really well then place the chicken in a shallow non-metallic dish, pour over the sauce, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours, turning the chicken every now and then.
Heat a cast-iron griddle pan and cook the chicken, skin side down first for 15-20 minutes over medium coals, turning every now and then,( if using a BBQ have a water spray handy just in case of flare-ups) until the chicken is cooked through and lightly charred.
For the chilli spiked pineapple salsa, peel and core the pineapple and cut the flesh into 1cm dice and then place in a bowl, sprinkle over the sugar and mix well.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan, add the pineapple and cook for a few minutes until lightly caramelised and then return to the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well to combine. Season to taste and set aside.