Jerk Chicken Recipe

If you are ready for some spicy chicken that is also sweet, juicy, tender, and delicious, you have to try this jerk chicken recipe. Besides the chicken, all you need are some herbs and spices. I let mine marinate overnight to get all the flavors from the onions, garlic, peppers, ginger, lime, soy sauce, brown sugar, thyme, parsley, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then, I bake it or grill it and serve it with some side dishes. You will fall in love with this perfect Caribbean dish, which I made sure to balance all the flavors for you.

You will feel like you are in the Caribbean even if you are sitting in the heart of the Midwest. As soon as you smell this jerk chicken cooking, your mouth will water. It is good, and it does not take very long to cook. If you are in a big hurry, you can get them done on the grill in 30 minutes. In the oven, it will take 45 to 50 minutes.

Either way, its well worth the wait. I guarantee the table will be full when you are ready to serve it because the aroma travels no matter how big your house is. Your neighbors may even be knocking on the door.

Seriously, though, I love the way this food smells, it tastes even better. You can make it as hot as you like by changing the number of peppers. In fact, for the kids or those sensitive to spicy foods, you can even leave the peppers out. I ALWAYS recommend you remove the seeds and rinse the oils, or the peppers will be too hot for most people.

Another great thing about jerk chicken is that it goes with anything you want to serve it with from veggies, pasta, to rice. It is always nice to have a lot of choices when you have picky people (kids) in your family. My kids like it when I make them this Mexican street corn. It is so easy; you only need a handful of ingredients and 15 minutes to make it.

Why you will love this recipe

• You only need a few ingredients: chicken, peppers, and seasonings.
• The cost is easy on your wallet: No need to break the bank. Just buy some chicken and peppers.
• Not much to clean: It’s a one-pan meal, so you only have to clean one pan.
• Versatile for everyone: Even those who do not like spicy food will love this dish.

What you’ll need to make jerk chicken

Special items:

• Food processor – To make the marinade.
• Baking sheet – For baking the chicken.
• Grill – If grilling the chicken.

Ingredients:

• Chicken – I typically use three pounds (about 10 pieces of chicken), either legs, thighs, or both. Bones in, skin-on, trimmed of fat and excess skin.
• Green onions – I use organic, chopped roughly in small pieces.
• Garlic – You will get the best flavor from freshly peeled and smashed garlic cloves.
• Jalapeno – I remove the stems and seeds before rinsing.
• Chiles – Same here; remove the stems and seeds before rinsing.
• Ginger – Fresh ginger is best, but if not, I keep a hunk of ginger root in my freezer, just in case. I use a one-and-a-half piece peeled and chopped.
• Lime zest – It only takes a few minutes to zest your lime, which is way cheaper. Try it, and you will see how much better it tastes.
• Lime juice – Another reason to use your own lime. Juicing your own is so much better than bottled.
• Soy sauce – Get the organic reduced-sodium soy sauce for less salt.
• Brown sugar – Light brown sugar for a nice, rich sweetness.
• Thyme – Adds a bright and herby taste with sweet, peppery hints.
• Parsley – For a clean and fresh flavor that also tastes earthy.
• Allspice – Gives it a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
• Cinnamon – More cinnamon flavor is always good.
• Nutmeg – You can always use more nutmeg to balance the heat.
• Salt – Kosher salt is best for a refreshing clean taste.
• Pepper – With the other two peppers in there, you need to grind your own black pepper to even notice it is in there.

How to make Jerk chicken

1. Prepare the meat: This recipe is for about 3 pounds of poultry. Trim off any excess fat or skin, then put the pieces in a resealable plastic bag.
2. Prepare the marinade: Combine the rest of the ingredients in a food processor.
3. Marinate: Pour the marinade inside the resealable plastic bag and coat the meat. Refrigerate the bag for 3 hours or more, but not more than 24 hours.
4. Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, then, put aluminum foil on the baking sheets. Lightly grease the foil.
5. Bake: Arrange the poultry pieces on the baking sheet, then put them in the oven. This will take around 45 to 50 minutes, and make sure that the temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. To achieve the charred surface, broil the pieces for a few minutes.
6. Or grill: Follow the marinating steps, but instead of the oven, use the gas grill. Just preheat the grill and oil the grates. Grill the marinated pieces, turning to cook uniformly. This will take about 30 minutes.

Expert tip

Different peppers for jerk seasoning

The traditional jerk seasoning pepper was a scotch bonnet pepper. However, it is five times as hot as a jalapeno pepper with about 200,000 Scoville heat units (SHU). That does not make it the hottest pepper out there by any means, but it is not for someone who is sensitive to spicy food.

Let’s talk about a few others. The jalapeno and poblano peppers have about 2,500 to 5,000 SHU while the serrano and wax peppers have 5,000 to 15,000 SHU. Cayenne and Tabasco have anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 SHU. If you think those peppers are hot, you probably do not want to use the Thai hot peppers, chillitepin, or santaka because they have between 50,000 and 100,000 SHU.

You may be wondering where the scotch bonnet is on this list. It comes next, right there with the habanero, with 100,000 to 350,000 SHU. That is a lot of heat! Not as much as ghost pepper or pepper spray, but I would not want to eat those. Believe it or not, the scotch bonnet is only considered to be medium hot, so if you like spicy peppers, go ahead and try it. If not, I suggest you stick to the lesser SHUs.

Recipe variations and add-ins:

• Ranch jerk chicken: Add a teaspoon of ranch seasoning to your chicken to give it a nice zesty ranch flavor. It helps tone down the spiciness.
• Other cuts: Try the same recipe for chicken wings, breasts or drumsticks, or roast a whole chicken.
• Different meat: I have used this method with turkey, ham, beef, and pork. I prefer the pork and turkey, as they seem to absorb the flavors better.
• Add vegetables: To make it a sheet-pan meal, add some veggies. I usually use chopped red potatoes, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.
• BBQ jerk chicken: Try this with homemade barbecue sauce or a store-bought sauce. The flavors meld well together.
• Make it tropical: To enhance the marinade’s sweetness, add some fruit, such as chopped apples, pineapples, or mangoes, to the meal.

Serving suggestions:

Jerk chicken goes great with all sorts of side dishes. Here are some ideas to try.

• Jerk chicken is often served with rice, and I like to serve mine with my low-carb cauliflower rice. It is delicious, nutritious, and nutty.
• I also really like it with this coconut rice and some homemade chipotle black beans on the side.
• Potatoes make a nice side dish for this spicy chicken. Their starches absorb some of the capsaicin. You can serve them mashed, boiled, fried, or baked. Try it with these mashed sweet potatoes.
• Beans are another way to complement this meal. Try this crunchy bean salad recipe. It has all sorts of veggies, like cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and olives. 
• For dessert, serve something cold to cool off the tongue, like ice cream, sherbet, or pineapple dream dessert.

Frequently asked questions

What is jerk chicken?

This spicy dish started in Jamaica but is common throughout the Caribbean. The name “jerk” refers to the method akin to how jerky was made in the 1400s when the Taino people did it to preserve meat. It was seasoned by rubbing or marinating it in hot spices like scotch bonnet chili peppers and cayenne peppers and then smoked over green pimento wood. Other spices varied from allspice, thyme, cinnamon, and ginger to paprika, parsley, garlic, and onion.

What is the difference between Cajun and jerk seasoning?

The most important thing to know about the two is that although jerk seasoning is spicy, it is also sweet, while Cajun seasoning is savory and spicy. Both include salt, black pepper, thyme, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. But jerk seasoning also has sweet ingredients, including brown sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice, while Cajun seasoning has oregano, paprika, and white pepper.

Why is my jerk chicken tough to chew?

You may have overcooked it. When I bake mine in the oven, I check it at 40 minutes using a digital probe meat thermometer. It stays plugged into the thickest part of the most significant piece of chicken, so I know precisely when it reaches 163 degrees F. That is when I take it out because it will continue to cook as it rests. I use the same meat thermometer on the grill, so I do not have to open the lid to know the temperature. I remove them when they reach 160 degrees F because they will rest next to the hot grill.

Do I have to sear my chicken?

Although it is not a requirement, searing your meat whenever you cook it, no matter how you cook it, makes it taste better. If I make these in the oven, I use a cast iron skillet or another oven-safe pan to sear it before putting it into the oven. For grilling, I sear it on the grill before I start cooking it. It only takes a few minutes and seals all the flavor and juices inside the chicken where they need to stay.

How to store leftovers:

• Refrigerate: Wrap your chicken in plastic or foil and place it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.   
• Freezing: To save longer than that, place leftovers in a freezer bag or sealed container and freeze them for up to four months.   
• Defrost: Be sure to place frozen leftovers in the fridge to thaw overnight.
• Reheating: Reheat in the oven covered in foil for 20 minutes at 375 degrees F or in the microwave for one to two minutes.

More chicken recipes to try:

Recipe tips:

• No matter what kind of pepper you use, remove the seeds and veins and rinse for several minutes to remove most of the spicy oils.
• Also, use cooking-grade gloves when handling peppers. You do not want to get the oil on your skin or in your eyes.
• Ensure you remove the chicken when it is 163 degrees F (160 for the grill), so it does not overcook.
• For juicier and better-tasting chicken, sear your meat before cooking it.
• If you are serving this to kids or anyone who has never had it, make a batch without the peppers in case they do not like them.