• You might question the idea of using banana in a savoury dish – I can assure you, though, that this won’t taste like dessert but, rather, deliciously tropical, savoury and sunny.

    Recipe and styling by Claire Ferrandi

    Photograph by Dylan Swart

    Caribbean-inspired chicken breasts with coconut rice

    By Claire Ferrandi Serves: 2
    Total Time: 1 hr

    Ingredients

    • CHICKEN

    • 2 bananas
    • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
    • pinch dried chilli flakes
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) ground cumin
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) ground coriander
    • 125ml (½ cup) coconut milk (reserve 60ml from the tin for the rice)
    • 2,5ml (½ tsp) ground ginger
    • 30ml (2 tbsp) hot English mustard powder
    • zest and juice of 1 lime + extra wedges, to squeeze
    • handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped + extra leaves, to garnish
    • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • 4 chicken breasts (skinless and boneless)
    • RICE

    • 250g cooked basmati rice
    • 60ml (4 tbsp) coconut milk
    • toasted coconut shavings, to serve

    Instructions

    1

    For the chicken, preheat the oven to 180˚C. Place all of the chicken ingredients, except the chicken breasts, in a blender and blitz to form a smooth marinade. Arrange the chicken breasts in a roasting dish and pour over the marinade to cover. Roast in the preheated oven, 20 – 25 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through.

    2

    For the coconut rice, combine the cooked basmati rice and 60ml (4 tbsp) coconut milk. Season to taste.

    3

    Serve the chicken atop the warm rice, sprinkled with coconut shavings, loads of fresh coriander and lime wedges for squeezing.

    Imka Webb
    Author

    Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine.  www.imkawebb.com