Go Back

Jerk Chicken | Not for the Faint of Heart

Spices and herbs in every nook and corner, a scintillating base of aromatic onions and garlic, the awakening pungency of the Scotch Bonnet pepper and Jamaican pimento.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Jamaican
Servings 4 people
Calories 350 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 oven or grill Preheat to 425 F / 220 ℃
  • 1 roasting pan
  • 1 Meat cleaver (optional)
  • 1 large mixing bowl
  • 1 blender or food processor or mortar/pestle

Ingredients
  

Meat

  • 2 lbs dark chicken meat (legs and/or thighs) (bone-in or de-boned) (900 g)

Vegetables

  • 3 large yellow onions (chopped) (500 g)
  • 1 bunch green onions or Jamaican escallions (100 g)
  • 2 Scotch Bonnet peppers (habanero) (30 g)
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme (40 g)
  • 6 cloves fresh garlic (90 g)
  • 75 g fresh ginger

Seasonings (dry)

  • 4 tbsp Kosher salt (60 g)
  • 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (8 g)
  • 1 tbsp Jamaican pimento (all-spice) (15 g)
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon (8 g)
  • 2 tsp cloves (8 g)

Seasonings (wet)

  • 3 tbsp vinegar or citrus juice (45 mL)
  • ¼ cup olive oil (60 g)
  • 1 tbsp butter (15 g)
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste (15 g)
  • 2 tbsp Walker's Wood Jerk Seasoning Spicy do not substitute, only omit if not found (30 g)
  • 4 tbsp Pickapeppa sauce (60 g)
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (30 mL)
  • 150 mL Grace browning

Instructions
 

Assembly

  • Preheat an oven and roasting pan or grill to 400 F / 200 ℃.

Marinade

  • Peel onions and garlic, chop roughly and add to a large bowl.
  • Remove the roots of the green onions and chop roughly. Add to bowl.
  • Wash the thyme and add to bowl whole.
  • Carefully halve the peppers and remove the stem, seeds and veins. Add to bowl.
  • Chop ginger roughly and add to bowl.
  • Transfer bowl contents to blender with oil and pulse to combine.
  • Add brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, all-spice, salt, browning, Worcestershire sauce, Pickapeppa sauce, and WW jerk seasoning to the blender. Blend until smooth adding up to 75 mL water, if necessary, to achieve a smooth consistency.

Roasting

  • Coat the dark chicken meat liberally with marinade and massage. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste.
  • To the pre-heated roasting pan, add butter and coat the bottom.
  • Add chicken skin side up and roast for 25 minutes at 400 F until the top reaches a charcoal brown colour. Reduce heat to 360 F and cover. Continue baking for 35 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165 F.
  • Serve with your favourite starches and veggies. Enjoy!
Keyword chicken, jerk, spicy