Probably the best thing about making a beer marinade is the fact that you have to trial a few recipes and, consequently, open and consume a few cans in the process. It’s a tough job but somebody has to do it. Thankfully the Rascals Brewing Company Chief Beer Recipe Officer is up to the task.

This recipe is a slight twist on Jamaican jerk chicken: we’ve added our new Froots & the Maytals milkshake pale ale into the mix. You can’t beat a good Irish craft beer in a marinade, especially a milkshake pale ale with mango and passion fruit.

Here’s what you need for a marinade to do 5 chicken breasts:

A tablespoon of Chinese Five Spice seasoning

A tablespoon of Mixed Spice / All Spice

Salt & pepper

Half a cup of soy sauce

Two tablespoons of vegetable or sunflower oil

A teaspoon of ground nutmeg

Two or three chili peppers – Scotch Bonnet are the preferred variety, but any will do

Two or three cloves of garlic

An onion

A few scallions

A few sprigs of fresh thyme

One can of Froots & the Maytals (you can buy it here)

It’s pretty handy: you make a paste and then add the beer. Simple!

Whizz up the veg in a food processor:

Then add the spices and keep whizzing as you slowly add the oil and the soy sauce; you’ll end up with a paste like this:

Dunk it all into a bowl and then slowly add in about three quarters of a can of Froots & the Maytals – you need to leave some to taste for yourself, because you’re working so hard at this cooking lark – whisking all the time to make sure it’s blended in:

Put your chicken breasts into the bowl with the marinade and lash them into the fridge overnight. For example, if your barbecue is a Saturday evening then do this prep the night before.

Cover the bowl with cling film of course. Spark up the BBQ the next day and stick the chicken on. Be careful not to overcook the breasts while also making sure they’re cooked through; the last thing you want is people getting ill! Just cut one in half to test – so long as the flesh is white, you’re grand.

Serve up with a salad of rocket, mango, red pepper, cucumber, cherry tomato, red onion and coriander leaf. The dressing is lime juice, olive oil, salt & pepper and lemon zest.

Add some Halloumi for a tasty side – grilled with olive oil, salt & pepper and freshly chopped rosemary.

And finally serve it all up with a can of Froots & the Maytals or whatever your favourite Rascals beers are.

Beautiful! Visit our beer shop here and get some local Irish craft beer delivered to your home.