I love marinated grilled chicken! It makes for the easiest dinner with little prep – and zero cleanup. Some of my favorite grilled chicken recipes include Greek Chicken, Pollo Asado Chili Lime Chicken, Cilantro Lime Chicken, Harissa Chicken, Chipotle Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Buffalo Chicken, Lemon Herb Chicken, Korean Chicken and now introducing Jerk Chicken!
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Jerk Chicken
I’m so excited to share globally famous Jamaican Jerk Chicken with you today! You just can’t beat the burnished skin and crispy, blackened bits giving way to moist, tender, juicy chicken layered with unapologetically bold and dynamic flavor. The chicken is packed full of aromatics, sweet yet smoky notes, complex allspice, ginger, and thyme, all laced with fiery heat from Scotch bonnet peppers. The combination of the marinade ingredients might seem odd, but expertly walks the tightrope of heat, dimension, and complexity to the reward of finger-licking, intoxicating chicken. What is almost as rewarding as its vibrant, sultry flavor, is how easy this Jerk Chicken recipe is to make! It’s a marinate-and-cook dinner that literally takes 10 minutes to prep which makes it great for a summer cookout but easy enough for a weeknight dinner. Just prep the marinade the night before, add the chicken and let it bath in the aromatic splendor until you’re ready to throw it on the grill or pop it in the oven the next day. And bonus, the Jerk Chicken is not only extra flavorful from marinating overnight, but extra juicy as well. Every bite is guaranteed to be a succulent, flavorful dream hot off of the grill.
Marinade Ingredients
The Jerk Chicken Marinade (sometimes called Jerk Sauce) does all the heavy lifting. It brings the depth of flavor and also tenderizes the chicken. While there are countless Jerk Chicken Marinade variations, you will always find Scotch bonnet peppers, allspice berries, thyme, green onions and fresh ginger. The rest of the ingredients in this recipe round out the flavor profile to create the best Jamaican Jerk Chicken in my opinion. Jerk refers to a style of cooking in which the main ingredient (anything from chicken to beef to seafood to vegetables) is either coated in jerk seasonings or marinated with jerk seasonings. The more traditional method is to marinate the chicken for as long as possible, to let the flavors really penetrate to create super moist chicken, then cook the chicken over the aromatic wood of the pimenta dioica, Jamaica’s allspice tree.
What makes jerk chicken jerk?
Authentic Jerk Chicken is not just smoky, spicy chicken coated in distinct seasonings, what sets it apart is the wood it is cooked over. Authentic Jamaican Jerk Chicken is cooked over fresh pimento wood from the pimento tree (pimenta diocia), a tree native to the Caribbean, imbuing it with smoky undertones and enhancing the heat. You may not think you are familiar with the pimento tree, but you have heard of its fruit – the allspice berry! As commonly misunderstood, allspice comes from ground up allspice berries that resemble peppercorns, and not multiple berries. The people of the Caribbean named them all spice because they thought they tasted like a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and pepper.
How is jerk chicken traditionally cooked?
In Jamaica, charcoals are laid in a pit under huge metal grates which are then topped with pimento wood. The whole jerk seasoned chicken is placed directly on top of the pimento wood, then covered with big sheets of metal. The chicken absorbs the fragrant oils and smoke from the pimento wood as it cooks slowly for hours, imbuing it with smoky, sweet, spicy, and floral flavor. Most Jerk Chicken in Jamaica is no longer cooked in pits, but grilled over pimento wood charcoals in a steel drum known as a “jerk pan.” It can be difficult to find pimento wood in the US, so often other fruit woods, which are similarly mild but pungent, are used. Feel free to experiment with fruit wood chips, such as apple, peach, cherry and more to see what works best for you. For everyday cooks without a charcoal grill, however, the allspice in the recipe serves as a suitable replacement for green pimento wood. This makes it easy to also cook the chicken in a cast-iron skillet as well.
Where is jerk chicken from?
The origins of Jerk Chicken are twofold. The native people of the Caribbean, the Taíno people, are credited with creating the jerk method of cooking – using the aromatic pimento wood from local island trees to cook and smoke their food, imparting that authentic allspice flavor. In fact, the name jerk, is the Spanish version of an Andean dialect word for dried meat, ch’arki, meaning dried strips of meat similar to the modern-day jerky.
The method of cooking Jerk Chicken in smoking pits and the distinctive seasonings of native Scotch bonnet peppers, sweet allspice berries, thyme and ginger, however, is credited to escaped African slaves in the 1600s, today referred to as Maroons. Groups of African slaves had been brought to Jamaica by both the English and Spanish to work the sugar plantations. When they escaped, they mingled with the Taínos, who taught them the jerk way of cooking.
The Maroons took the jerk cooking technique one step further by digging pits to cook the wild caught boar in. They would fill the pits with charcoal, add the meat, then bury them in order to hide the smoke from anyone who would bring them back into slavery.
Today, forms of jerk can be found all over the world, but is most popular where Caribbean descent exists, such as the Caribbean, Cayman Islands, United States, England, and the French Caribbean. And now you can bring it into your very own kitchen!
The marinade ingredient list might look a bit lengthy, but each ingredient plays a key role and the ingredients only take a couple seconds to add to your food processor, so please don’t skip any!
Scotch bonnet pepper: are fiery hot chili peppers with a fruity sweetness native to the Caribbean. They were used in the first authentic Jerk Chicken recipes created thousands of years ago. Scotch bonnet peppers are not for the faint of heart – they are seriously hot, about 40 times hotter than jalapeños. You will use 1-3 Scotch bonnet peppers depending on your desired spice level. To use the chili peppers, remove the stems by simply pulling it off and then add the whole peppers with the seeds to the food processor.
What if I can’t find Scotch bonnet peppers? Scotch bonnet peppers can be difficult to find in the United States, so you may substitute with its close cousin, the habanero pepper. Habaneros are also fiery hot with fruity undertones but are missing the additional sweetness that Scotch bonnet peppers have. Still, they make a good substitute because both chili peppers register about 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville Heat Units.
Allspice berries: are the fruit of the pimento tree used for grilling Jerk Chicken in Jamaica. You can use crushed whole allspice berries or use store-bought ground allspice. Allspice has a sweet, spicy, floral flavor, and tastes like a mixture of nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and black pepper. Green onions: add a sweet, onion-y flavor. Chop the green onions into large pieces so they fit into your food processor, about 2-inches long and use both the white and green parts. Fresh ginger: also flourishes in the Caribbean and is used in many regional specialties such as ginger beer and sorrel. Peel the piece of ginger and slice it a few times to give it a head start before you pop it in the food processor. Thyme: is a key herb in Jamaican Jerk chicken with its strong herbal flavor with sharp grass, wood, and floral notes. Fresh is preferable, but you may also use dried. Garlic: adds the pungent garlicy goodness! Peel the cloves and add them whole to the food processor. Cinnamon: strong, warm and sweetly pungent. Ground nutmeg: boasts a woody, earthy, nutty sweetness with hints of clove. Salt and pepper: rounds out the flavor profile. It might seem like a lot of salt, but it’s a lot of chicken! Soy sauce: tenderizes the chicken and infuses it with rich flavor. Use reduced sodium soy sauce so your chicken won’t be too salty. Lime juice: adds a hint of citrus to compliment the earthy seasonings. Use freshly squeezed or 100% lime juice. Brown sugar: won’t make your chicken taste sweet with all that heat, but balances the soy and lime juice.
WHAT CHICKEN IS BEST FOR jerk chicken?
Jerk Chicken is often made with a whole chicken or dark cuts of meat such as the legs quarters thighs, and wings. They are dark cuts of meat which means they are richer tasting, inherently juicier and the bone keeps them extra tender. Most importantly in this recipe, the richer flavor is important to stand up against the bold marinade. I suggest bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks for this recipe because they cook in the same amount, but you may use whatever cut of chicken you like.
CAN I USE CHICKEN BREASTS?
Yes, technically you can make Jamaican Jerk Chicken using chicken breasts, but there is a reason Jerk Chicken is made with dark meat. It’s more flavorful, tender and can be marinated for longer, resulting in a superior end result. You also won’t achieve that signature charred crust and blackened crispy bits using chicken breasts. The milder chicken breast meat also doesn’t compliment the dynamic marinade as well. If you choose to use chicken breasts, take care to pound the breasts to an even thickness before marinating. Only marinade chicken breasts for up to 12 hours because the meat is more likely to break down and become mushy if over-marinated. Also note, you don’t want to overcook chicken breasts or they won’t be as juicy. Chicken breasts should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, 10 degrees less than the ideal 175 degrees F for darker cuts of meat.
HOW SPICY IS jerk chicken?
Jerk Chicken is supposed to be spicy – it’s part of what makes jerk chicken jerk! Here’s the breakdown:
1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper= medium 2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers= medium-hot 3 Scotch Bonnet Peppers= hot
That being said, you can make the same Jerk Chicken Marinade multiple times with the same number of peppers and it will vary in heat every time. This is because the peppers range in heat from 100,000 to 350,000 SHU – no two peppers are the same! If you are very sensitive to heat, you can swap the Scotch bonnet peppers/habaneros for jalapenos which, as mentioned earlier, are 40x less spicy or remove the seeds from the chili peppers.
HOW TO MAKE jerk chicken
This Jerk Chicken recipe is super easy to make – just marinate and cook! Here’s how (full recipe measurement are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post):
STEP 1: MARINATE CHICKEN
Add the Scotch bonnet chili peppers (or easier to find habanero chili peppers) green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, thyme, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper to a food process and process until smooth. Pour the marinade over the chicken in a resealable bag. Marinate the chicken for 4 hours or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator (the longer the better!).
STEP 2: BRING CHICKEN TO ROOM TEMPERATURE
When read to grill or roast, let the chicken sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. You should never grill chicken or any protein straight out of the refrigerator. Room temperature protein is juicier and cooks more evenly. Room temperature Jerk Chicken will cook more quickly because it starts cooking at a higher temperature which means the outside is less likely to overcook and there is less time for moisture to be released while cooking. The chicken also cooks more evenly and you aren’t left with an overcooked exterior and raw interior. Lastly, bringing the chicken to room temperature relaxes the cold muscle fibers so they release natural moisture which is then reabsorbed into the muscle for juicier results (otherwise the moisture stays trapped in the fibers).
STEP 3: HEAT GRILL
Heat the grill with the lid closed cranked to the maximum high temperature so it can achieve temperature more quickly and deliver a beautiful sear; plan on 10-15 minutes. Once the grill is hot, adjust the temperature as needed. Don’t add the chicken until the grill is hot or it won’t sear as beautifully. A hot grill also helps the chicken easily release from the grill. Also, don’t grease the grill until ready to add the chicken or some of the oil will burn off.
STEP 3: CLEAN GRILL
Once the grill is fully heated, clean it thoroughly with a wire grill brush to remove any residue. A clean grill ensures direct contact with the heat to create a beautiful sear and grill marks and helps prevent sticking.
STEP 4: GREASE GRILL
Generously grease the CLEAN grill with a wad of oiled paper towels using tongs just before adding the chicken. NEVER use spray oils once the grill is on. Only use vegetable oil or another high smoking point oil. Don’t use olive because it has a lower smoking point (meaning it starts to smoke and break down at a lower temperature) and will not only smoke you out but leave an unpleasant taste on your food as it breaks down under the heat.
STEP 5: COOK jerk chicken
Add the bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, cover and grill for 5-7 minutes per side or until the thickest part of the chicken registers 175°F on an instant-read meat thermometer. The grilling time will depend on how thick your chicken is and actual heat of your grill. Resist the urge to flip the chicken more than once. The chicken needs constant direct heat to develop the intensely flavored, caramelized crust. If you keep rotating the chicken, it will brown but won’t char. If using a different cut of chicken, the temperature, method (lid open/closed) and duration will vary. I’ve included cooking times for different cuts of chicken in the recipe card.
Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe Variations
Make it spicy by adding up to 3 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers. Play with the seasoning ratios to mix up the flavor profile. Add cilantro: for more of a zesty, citrusy punch. Swap the citrus: add some pineapple juice or orange juice in place of the lime juice.
CAN I COOK jerk chicken IN THE OVEN?
Absolutely! I personally prefer the charred crust and smoky grilled flavor, but the oven method works great for year-round cooking. If you choose to cook the chicken in the oven, try adding 2 teaspoons mesquite liquid smoke to the marinade. To cook Jerk Chicken in the oven using chicken breasts or bone-in chicken thighs and bone-in drumsticks:
Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet: preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange marinated chicken on sheet: remove chicken from marinade and add to the baking sheet in a single layer so the pieces aren’t touching. Bake then broil: bake in preheated oven until cooked through, about 25 – 35 minutes, or until an internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F thighs and drumsticks and 165 degrees F for chicken breasts. Broil the chicken the last few minutes for an extra burnished finish.
HOW DO I KNOW WHEN MY CHICKEN IS DONE?
Always use a meat thermometer to check for doneness so you don’t undercook or overcook your chicken. A meat thermometer means perfectly cooked, tender, juicy chicken ever time. Chicken thighs should be cooked to 175 degrees F and chicken breasts should be cooked to 165 degrees. Dark meat such has chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks and leg quarters (essentially everything but chicken breasts) are safe to eat when cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, but are more tender when cooked to 175 degrees. Cooking dark meat to only 165 F will yield chewy, rubbery meat because it contains more connective tissue. Cooking it to 175 F, will yield tender, juicy meat as the collagen melts at this higher temperature and turns to gelatin. Chicken breasts are safe to eat when cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. I don’t recommend cooking them a second longer because the light meat is temperamental and can easily dry out if overcooked.
What to Serve With This Recipe For Jerk Chicken
This Jerk Chicken recipe is tasty with rice to offer a neutral textural component to balance the heat, sweet tropical fruit such as pineapple or mangos and green salad. Here are some additional tasty options:
Rice: Coconut Rice is hands down the favorite here. It’s sweet, rich and nutty. Jerk Chicken would also be delicious with plain white jasmine rice, Pineapple Rice, Cilantro Lime Rice, or Red Beans and Rice. You can also go with low carb cauliflower rice or quinoa. Grilled pineapple: simple grilled pineapple with its golden char and enhanced caramelized sweetness is superb or go with candy sweet Caramelized Grilled Pineapple that’s finished in a brown sugar butter glaze. Either grilled pineapple option offers a sweet and tangy respite from the heat of the Jerk Chicken. Fruit Salsas: as seen here, fruit salsa is the best of sweet fruit with aromatic pops from onions and garlic. I especially love that salsa is bite size so you get spicy, fragrant chicken and refreshing, juicy sweet salsa in every bite. Choose between Mango Salsa, Pineapple Salsa, Pineapple Mango Salsa or Strawberry Salsa. Fruit salad: is another bright, fresh alternative to offset the spicy chicken. Serve the Jamaican Jerk Chicken alongside any of these favorites: Pina Colada Fruit Salad (especially delish with its coconut flair), Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette, Cheesecake Fruit Salad, Grape Salad, or Summer Fruit Salad. Plantains: are the less sweet cousin of bananas, without the banana flavor. The soft plantains offer a creamy, neutral, slightly sweet counterpart to the robust chicken. Sauté them in some butter and watch the edges caramelize and become crispy as they cook. Sweet Potatoes: are divine with Jerk Chicken. Their buttery, creamy sweetness balances the fragrant, smoky chicken in all the best ways. Serve the potatoes up roasted, mashed, Hasselback style or as sweet potato fries. Potatoes: good old regular potatoes with a pad of butter are also tasty with Jerk Chicken. Serve Jamaican Jerk Chicken over mashed potatoes, polenta, grits or alongside German Potato Salad, Loaded Bacon Potato Salad, Smashed Potatoes, Roasted Red Potatoes, Twice Baked Potatoes, or Scalloped Potatoes. Vegetables: grilled, roasted, steamed, or stir-fried veggies offer a fresh pairing with Jerk Chicken. Some of my favorites include: Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Asparagus, Roasted Carrots or Glazed Carrots, Sautéed Brussels Sprouts, or Crockpot Creamed Corn. Salad: pair Jerk Chicken with any of your favorite side salads for an explosion of refreshing crunch. Broccoli Bacon Salad, Strawberry Spinach Salad, Corn Salad, Watermelon Salad, Wedge Salad, Strawberry Avocado Broccoli Salad, Strawberry Salad, Spinach Berry Salad, or Cucumber Tomato Salad would all be fabulous. Coleslaw: a fresh, crunchy side made with a medley of crispy cabbage, carrots and tangy mayo dressing is the cooling answer to the spicy plate. Try the light coleslaw used in this recipe. Potluck Favorites: Jerk Chicken is a favorite at cookouts so it pairs beautifully with your favorite cookout foods such as BLT Pasta Salad, Bacon and Pea Pasta Salad Baked Mac and Cheese, Baked Beans, Corn Casserole, Elote (Mexican Street Corn), Grilled Corn on the Cob and Corn Casserole. Dessert: top off the feast with a dessert such as Strawberry Crisp, Peach Cobbler, Coconut Cake, Lemon Cheesecake Bars, Tres leches cake, Strawberry Pie, Lemon Pound Cake, Strawberry Shortcakes or Blueberry Cheesecake.
What to Do With Leftovers
Jerk Chicken is fabulous served with simple sides or is wonderfully versatile and can be served in wraps, salads, etc. Here are just a few ideas:
Jerk Chicken Salad. Follow my instructions for my Caribbean Shrimp and Avocado Salad (AMAZING!) and swap the shrimp for the chicken or go super simple and add the chicken to some greens along with some tropical fruit and cashews. Jerk Chicken Tacos or Lettuce Wraps. Pile Jerk Chicken in flour tortillas or bib lettuce and top with mango salsa, pineapple salsa, corn salsa, or black bean and corn salsa and other favorite toppings such as roasted sweet potatoes, pickled red onions and lettuce or cabbage. Finish with a drizzle of avocado crema or a dollop of guacamole. Jerk Chicken Pasta. Add Jerk Chicken to any of your favorite creamy pastas such as Fettuccine Alfredo, Sun-Dried Tomato Fettuccine, Cacio e Pepe, Creamy Mushroom Pasta, Pepper Jack Mac and Cheese or Homemade Mac and Cheese. You can also go low carb and serve the chicken with zoodles or spaghetti squash. Jerk Chicken Mac and Cheese. Stir the chopped chicken into your favorite Mac and Cheese recipe at the end of cooking. Jerk Chicken Baked Potatoes: poke holes in washed, dried potatoes. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and lightly brush with oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender and the skin is crispy. Slice open the potatoes, top with chopped chicken and cheese then place back in the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts. Top with sour cream, green onions, etc. Jerk Chicken Quesadillas. Sandwich chicken, Monterrey Jack Cheese, black beans and cilantro in between two flour tortillas and toast in a skillet to golden, cheesy perfection. Serve with pineapple salsa or mango salsa, pico de gallo, salsa, chopped avocados, guacamole and/or crema. Jerk Chicken Burritos. Layer a burrito size tortilla with coconut rice, cilantro lime rice or pineapple rice, black or pinto beans, cheese, chicken, guacamole, sour cream and lettuce. Serve with additional sour cream and pineapple salsa or mango salsa. Jerk Chicken Burrito Bowls. Layer coconut rice, cilantro lime rice or pineapple rice with black beans, corn, chicken, chopped lettuce or slaw, pineapple or mango salsa and your favorite creamy topping such as sour cream/Greek yogurt or I highly recommend either Tomatillo Avocado Ranch or Cilantro Lime Dressing. Jerk Chicken Grain Bowls. Layer your favorite rice or grains in a bowl with your favorite veggies. The veggies can be roasted/cooked like roasted broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts or butternut squash, or raw such as fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced radishes, sprouts, avocados etc. or pickled like pickled jalapenos, carrots, etc. or a combo of all three! You can also top with a fried or soft-boiled egg. Finish it all off with pineapple or mango salsa and your favorite creamy topping such as Tomatillo Avocado Ranch or Cilantro Lime Dressing. Jerk Chicken Nachos. Pile thick restaurant style tortilla chips with cheese and beans and bake. Top with chicken and toppings such as jalapenos, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and pineapple or mango salsa. Taquitos. You can make traditional taquitos with chicken and cheese or make Hawaiian style taquitos like in my VERY FIRST recipe post ever (I give you permission to make fun of the photos). Add some barbecue sauce, pineapple and cheese, roll and bake until crispy.
Storing and Reheating
Storage: store cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Skillet: reheat in a skillet over medium low heat until warmed through, adding a splash of water for added moisture. Microwave: reheat in the microwave at 30 second intervals, taking care not to overcook. Oven: reheat in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F or just until warmed through.
CAN I FREEZE jamaican jerk chicken?
Yes! You can freeze the uncooked marinating chicken or cooked chicken.
To freeze chicken in marinade: add the chicken to the marinade and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to use, the chicken will marinate as you thaw the chicken in the refrigerator. To freeze cooked chicken: let chicken cool completely then transfer it to an airtight container or plastic freezer bag and squeeze out any excess air. Freeze for 2 to 3 months. To thaw: let the chicken thaw in the refrigerator overnight. You can also thaw in the microwave but take care to thaw slowly using the defrost setting so your chicken doesn’t become rubbery. Use any of the below methods to reheat.
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