Notting Hill Carnival

I love Notting Hill Carnival – the sights, the sounds, but perhaps most of all, the smells. There’s something about traditional Caribbean food that immediately puts you in a celebratory mood and it’s one of my go-to cuisines when catering for a party. A big bowl of curried goat and a mountain of rice and peas is an easy way to feed a crowd, but when the weather’s good, it’s got to be jerk chicken chargrilled over the barbie for me. Try my simple recipe below and serve it with a spicy pineapple salsa for instant sunshine on a plate!

Jerk chicken with spicy pineapple salsa

8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
2 tsp sea salt
1 red onion, finely grated
1 tbsp root ginger, finely grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 red chillies, very finely chopped
1 tbsp ground allspice
1 tbsp thyme leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp orange juice

For the salsa:
1 pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks
½ small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 red chillies, halved, deseeded and thinly sliced
a small bunch of mint, finely chopped

• Rub the chicken thighs with salt and set aside while you make the jerk marinade.
• Mix all of the marinade ingredients together. If your eyes can’t stand the thought of grating the onion, put everything in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
• Scrape the marinade into a large sandwich bag, then add the chicken and massage it all around to coat.
• Seal up the bag then transfer the chicken to the fridge and leave to marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
• Make the salsa within an hour or two of eating: Mix all of the ingredients together and season with a little sea salt.
• The jerk chicken is best cooked slowly over a barbeque, turning regularly until it’s cooked all the way through – about 35 minutes. You know it’s ready when the juices run clear or when the centre reaches 74⁰C on a food thermometer. Alternatively you can bake the chicken in the oven at 190⁰C for 1 hour.

Don’t feel like cooking? Head along to Festival Square on Sunday 25th or bank holiday Monday 26th August when the Festival Street Kitchen will be cooking up a Caribbean storm. They’ll be giving away free rum punch when you buy their delicious Caribbean chicken to help get you in the carnival spirit.

Happy nibbling!
Fiona B xx