This recipe hails from Jamaica and habanero chillies are the key ingredient. They are a beautiful bright orange colour and look like tiny lanterns. Supposedly the hottest chillies in the world, you may want to use gloves when handling them. The sweetness of the other spices makes for an incredible explosion of flavours. You can use this paste on anything and it is perfect for any barbecue dish. 

Ingredients

2kg chicken wings 

Jamaican jerk paste (below) 

Fresh limes, to squeeze

Jerk Paste

8 habanero or scotch bonnet chillies 

a 10cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped

8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 

4 sprigs fresh thyme, roughly chopped 

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp ground allspice

1 tbsp grated nutmeg

3 tbsp molasses

60ml Jamaican rum

Sea salt and ground black pepper 

Method

For the paste

1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process to a coarse purée. 

2. Store the paste in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

For the chicken

1. Put the wings in a large glass or ceramic bowl and pierce all over with a sharp knife. 

(You want the marinade to get deep inside the chicken.) Pour over the Jamaican jerk paste and rub into the wings with your hands, being careful not to touch your face. Cover the baking dish with clingfilm and refrigerate for 24 hours. This is a long marinade and mustn’t be hurried. 

2. After this time, remove the chicken wings from the fridge and take off the clingfilm. Toss one more time to make sure they are all well covered with the jerk seasoning. 

3. Put the wings on a medium-hot barbecue and cook for 6–8 minutes. 

Turn the barbecue down and continue to cook the wings for a further 8 minutes, turning frequently until they are cooked through and crispy on the outside. 

4. Serve the chicken wings on a large platter and squeeze over the fresh limes. Eat immediately.

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