Some dishes are so steeped in culture & tradition that tracing their origins to find the one true ‘definitive recipe’ is nigh on impossible. Jerk-chicken is one such thing. The millions of variants all proclaim to be ‘original and authentic’, all using an extra shake of this or a secret touch of that. The one thing they all have in common however is the inclusion of allspice and scotch-bonnet chillies!

My diabetic-friendly interpretation makes no claim whatsoever to be authentic or original. What is does claim though, is to be every bit as delicious as its high sugar counterparts. I also claim ease, speed and incredibly low levels of carbohydrate. What more could you want?

Before I go into the recipe, just a quick word about allspice. Please forgive me if I’m preaching to the converted, but this was once a gap in my own knowledge-base. I therefore feel honour-bound to rescue others from the quagmire of ignorance which once plagued my own cooking know-how. Allspice is a berry, dried then ground into a powder. It is not a spice-mix, made up of generically blended ‘Christmassy’ spices, for use in mince-pies &tc. That is mixed spice! Sorry again if you already knew this; I shan’t mention it further. Consider yourself well & truly told!

Start by making your marinade. Into a large mixing-bowl, add 3 cloves of crushed garlic, 2 finely chopped scotch-bonnet chillies, 1 tablespoon of allspice, 3 tablespoons of lemon-juice, a teaspoon of dried thyme, 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil, a handful of finely chopped spring-onions and a heaped tablespoon of xylitol sweetener. Hot chilli requires quite a bit of sweetness, so don’t hold back on the xylitol! Mix these all together, then add your chicken to the bowl. You can blitz the paste until smooth in a food-processor if you like, but I personally prefer it more textured. Cover with a tea-towel and leave to stand for between an hour and a day. It’s completely up to you. Just bear in mind that flavours develop in intensity the longer they’re allowed to imbue.

Heat a glug of oil in a thick-bottomed pan, then add you chicken when the oil is piping hot. Whilst it browns, finely slice onion and peppers and add these to the pan. Once one side is done, turn the chicken and continue to caramelise the underside. After a couple of minutes, pour on half an inch depth of water, and place into the oven for 20 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced.

Meanwhile, make your cauliflower-rice. Instructions for this can be found in another blog as follows: cauliflower-rice. The only thing you do differently for this recipe, is add a tablespoon of coconut-oil to the butter, and throw in a handful of dessicated coconut whilst the rice is cooking. Microwave fresh or frozen spinach, then add this to rice, stirring through at the last moment.

Pile the rice into your pre-warmed serving-dish, then spoon the chicken and sauce all over it. Finish with a final flourish of coriander, or chopped herb of your choice. The taste should be hot, spicy, sweet, aromatic and incredibly morish! This dish is very difficult to leave alone if it’s looking like there’s leftovers. Good job then it’s low carb!

Thanks for reading and bon ap!

Adam.