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discussion & revival
of British foodways.

NO.72
FALL/WINTER2023

Chicken baked with lime & thyme

This simple dish derived from a recipe in Rosamund Grant’s slim but superb Cooking of the Caribbean is a favorite in the household of the Editor. Grant does not identify a source for the recipe--it may be her own--but the bright flavorings are distinctly Caribbean. Four servings that may be doubled.


-8 chicken thighs

-a minced hot chili or ½ teaspoon, more or less, cayenne

-2-3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro stems

-3 smashed and minced garlic cloveslimes.jpg

-½ cup chopped scallions

-1 heaped teaspoon dried thyme

½ cup lime juice

-salt and pepper

-4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

-½ cup chopped cilantro leaves


  1. Cut a trench along the bone of each thigh on the side opposite the skin.
  2. Mix together the chili, cilantro stems, garlic, scallions, thyme and lime juice with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
  3. Melt the butter and stir it into the marinade.
  4. Jam the marinate into the trench of each thigh and smear what ever is left onto the thighs.
  5. Marinate the chicken overnight in a plastic bag.

    Preheat the oven to 375°.

  6. Put the chicken skin side down on a baking sheet or shallow ovenproof dish, cover it with foil and bake it for about 40 minutes.
  7. Remove the foil and blast the chicken under the broiler to brown it.
  8. Strew the chopped cilantro leaves over the chicken and serve with black beans and rice, spooning the juices overall.

Notes:

- The original recipe omits the chili and cilantro stems, and uses less lime and more butter. We found our own proportions worked a lot better.

- The dish is even better if it is summertime and you are enterprising enough to scorch the thighs skin side down on a charcoal grill rather than broiling them at Step 7.