Jerk Chicken With Pickled Bananas

Recipe courtesy of cooking.nytimes.com
Converted to VitaClay

Ingredients:
FOR THE MARINADE:

• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 ½ teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces Guinness stout
• 1 medium red onion (about 9 ounces), finely chopped
• 8 scallions, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup Tabasco sauce
• 1 large nutmeg seed, freshly grated (about 4 teaspoons)
• ¼ cup whole allspice berries, ground (about 3 tablespoons)
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, crushed
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 habanero chiles, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 12 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs

FOR THE PICKLED BANANAS:

• 6 cups white vinegar
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 4 branches fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1 habanero chile, split, seeds and stem intact
• 6 cloves
• 6 just-ripe bananas

Directions:

1. Prepare the marinade: In a small skillet, toast the coriander and cumin seeds over medium heat, shaking the pan, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Let cool, then grind in a spice grinder until pulverized. Add to a large bowl along with all other marinade ingredients (everything but the chicken). Add 1 cup water and whisk to combine. Alternatively, working in two batches, place all marinade ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 2 or 3 times to combine.
2. Marinade the chicken: Place chicken in a large container big enough for all pieces plus marinade. Reserve 3/4 cup marinade for later use, and pour remaining marinade over the chicken. Refrigerate 1 or 2 days (chicken can be stored for up to 5 days).
3. Prepare the pickled bananas: Add all ingredients except for the bananas to a nonreactive saucepan and boil over high, 10 minutes. Chill completely. Once brine is chilled, peel and slice the bananas on the bias. Add to the brine and chill, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
4. Remove chicken from marinade and temper at room temperature for 15 minutes. Place chicken in your VitaClay pot (VM7900 or VF7700) and set to “stew” for 30-45 minutes, until chicken is done.
5. Transfer to a serving platter. Brush the reserved marinade on the skin side. Remove bananas from brine and serve with jerk chicken.