Thanks to plenty of spices and strong chili peppers, Jamaican Jerk Chicken sings with spicy heat. Marinate this jerk chicken recipe overnight and cook in the oven or on the grill.
do you like heat Like chili heat? If so, then jerk chicken is for you.
This is a dish popular in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean. Jerk seasoning is based around two main ingredients: Scotch Bonnet chili peppers (or habaneros) and allspice.
Scotch Bonnet and Habanero Peppers are HOT. As in Be really careful hot and for heaven’s sake don’t touch your eyes or anything sensitive after touching them hot.
The jerk chicken recipe below isn’t sizzling hot, but it’s still plenty spicy and great the next day in a chicken salad. Serve with black beans and rice (to spread the heat) and a very large glass of cold beer. You can choose to cook jerk chicken in the oven or grilled jerk chicken.
Do you have a favorite jerk seasoning recipe? Please let us know in the comments.
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Check out this jerk chicken recipe
What is jerk chicken?
Jerk is a cooking method traditionally used throughout the Caribbean and is often associated with Jamaica in particular. Spices coat chicken — or beef, pork, seafood, and even vegetables — cooked slowly over the fire.
The method may have started in the 15th century with the Taino, the indigenous people of the Caribbean, to preserve meat (the word jerk is related to jerky). They are believed to have taught the method to African slaves, which they adapted. This adaptation has become the way Caribbean residents cook jerk chicken today.
Prepare jerk chicken ahead of time
If you’re looking for a recipe that doesn’t require a lot of work the day you make it, this jerk chicken is perfect. It marinates overnight so the work of making the marinade is done a day before cooking. You can even make the marinade up to a week in advance and store it in the fridge.
We don’t recommend cooking the chicken ahead of time as it will lose some of its crispiness and juiciness. However, if there are leftovers, refrigerate for up to 5 days and eat cold. Or, strip the flesh off leftover jerk chicken and use it in salads.
Great jerk chicken side dishes
- Plain black beans and rice
- coconut rice and beans
- Tostones air fryer
- No mayo slaw
- Mango salsa
From the editors of Simply Recipes
jerk chicken
Scotch Bonnet and Habanero chillies are very hot and can cause extreme pain if they come in contact with your eyes. I highly recommend wearing protective gloves when handling the chilies and jerk paste.
For chicken parts: Use 5 or 6 pound bone-in and skinless chicken parts such as breasts, drumsticks, thighs or drumsticks. Marinate as directed in step 2 and grill or bake as directed. Because individual pieces are smaller than two halves of chicken, cooking time may be shorter. Use a meat thermometer to assess when the chicken is fully cooked (165°F).
Recipe adapted from multiple sources including Bon Appetit magazine.
ingredients
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1/2 Cup malt vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
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2 tablespoon dark rum
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2 Scottish bonnet pepper (or habaneros), with seeds, chopped
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1 Red onion, chopped
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4 green onion Pointed, chopped
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1 tablespoon dried thyme or 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
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2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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2 teaspoon kosher Salt
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2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
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4 teaspoon floor pimento
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4 teaspoon floor Cinammon
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4 teaspoon floor nutmeg
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4 teaspoon floor Ginger
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2 teaspoon molasses
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1/2 Cup lime juice
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1 (5 to 6 pounds) chickenhalve lengthways
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Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
method
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Make the jerk marinade:
In a blender, combine vinegar, rum, hot peppers, onion, green onion tips, thyme, olive oil, salt, pepper, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and molasses. Pulse until mostly smooth.
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Marinate Chicken:
Place the chicken in a large freezer bag or in a large non-reactive bowl or casserole dish. Pour the lime juice over the chicken and brush well.
Rub the jerk paste over the chicken pieces and brush well (using gloves helps!). Seal the bag or cover the chicken in the pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
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Boil the chicken, let the marinade simmer:
When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove the chicken from the marinade bag or skillet. Pour the remaining marinade into a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to fry the chicken.
If you like, you can reserve some of the marinade (once cooked for 10 minutes since it has been in contact with raw chicken) to serve with the chicken or mix with some ketchup and a dash of soy sauce for a serving sauce.
grill method
Preheat grill to medium heat. Sprinkle chicken halves with salt and pepper. Place the chicken halves skin-side down on the cooking grate. Cover. Cook for about 40-50 minutes, maintaining the internal grill temperature between 350°F and 400°F, turning the chickens occasionally and basting with the marinade, until the chicken halves are cooked through.
The chicken is done when the juice is clear (not pink) when inserting a knife tip into both the chicken breast and thigh, about 165°F for the breast and 170°F for the thigh when measured with a meat thermometer is checked.
What is the temperature of cooked chicken?CONTINUE READING:
Place chicken on a platter. Keep loosely warm with foil and let stand for 15 minutes.
oven method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the chicken halves skin-side up in a rimmed baking dish. Roast until the chicken halves are cooked through, about 40-50 minutes.
The chicken is done when the juices run clear (not pink) when a knife tip is inserted into both the chicken breast and thigh, or a meat thermometer reads about 165°F for the breast and 170°F for the thigh.
Place chicken on a platter. Keep loosely warm with foil and let stand for 15 minutes.
Cut the chicken into pieces. Serve with black beans and rice.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 888 | calories |
| 50g | Fat |
| 8g | carbohydrates |
| 94g | protein |
