Jerk Chicken Recipe

A real treat for spice lovers everywhere, the full jerk chicken experience makes your mouth sting and your eyes water – and that’s what makes it so special.

On the other hand, not everyone craves a spice mix quite that intensely. If you prefer a slightly milder flavor, you can tame this chicken down by reducing the allspice or bonnet pepper.

You can also experiment with this recipe by changing the meat. I like to buy different pieces of chicken, but you could also use a whole bird and cut it into pieces yourself.

Instead of the typical soy sauce in this recipe, I used coconut aminos, a Paleo-friendly soy sauce alternative made from the sap of the coconut tree.

If you can’t find any coconut aminos, you could always substitute gluten-free tamari sauce. It still contains soy, so it’s not ideal, but at least it’s better than getting soy and gluten.

Since jerk is originally a Jamaican spice mixture, a fitting side dish for this chicken would be fried plantains. The bigger, starchier cousins of standard grocery-store bananas, plantains are often available in ethnic Caribbean markets and delicious simply fried in coconut oil with a little salt.

There’s really no need to get fancy with the side dishes when the chicken already packs such a punch; keep it simple so you can focus on the delicious, tongue-burning heat of the main event.

Jerk Chicken Recipe

SERVES: 4 PREP: 2 h COOK: 50 min

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 lbs. of chicken pieces; (drumsticks, thighs, and/or wings)
• Half of a nutmeg seed;
• 1 cinnamon stick;
• 1 tbsp. coriander seeds;
• 1 tsp. cloves, whole;
• 6 Jamaica peppers; (allspice)
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns;
• 3 green onions, chopped;
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped;
• 2 to 3 Scotch Bonnet peppers; (optional)
• 10 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked;
• 10 garlic cloves;
• ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice;
• 1 cup of coconut aminos;

Preparation

1. Heat up a dry skillet over a medium-high, and toast the nutmeg, the cinnamon stick, the coriander seeds, the cloves, the Jamaica peppers, and the black peppercorns. Then crush them all with a mortar and pestle until you get a nice powder.
2. In a food processor or a blender, combine the green onions, the large onion, the bonnet peppers, the thyme leaves, and the garlic cloves until you get a puree.
3. In a big bowl, combine the spice powder and the puree, then add the lime juice and the coconut aminos and whisk it all well.
4. Place the chicken in a non-metallic container and pour the mixture all over it. Cover the dish, and marinate in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or overnight.
5. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
6. Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
7. When the 30 minutes is almost up, preheat a BBQ or grill to medium-high.
8. Remove the chicken from the oven, and finish it off with a turn on the grill.

📖 Recipe

Jerk Chicken Recipe

Craving spice? You got it! This Jamaican jerk chicken recipe is powerfully spicy. Delicious when served over fried plantains.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Jamaican

Servings 4

Calories 1128 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 to 5 lbs. of chicken pieces drumsticks, thighs, and/or wings
• Half of a nutmeg seed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cloves whole
• 6 Jamaica peppers allspice
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 3 green onions chopped
• 1 large onion roughly chopped
• 2 to 3 Scotch Bonnet peppers optional
• 10 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves picked
• 10 garlic cloves
• ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 cup of coconut aminos

Instructions

 

• Heat up a dry skillet over a medium-high, and toast the nutmeg, the cinnamon stick, the coriander seeds, the cloves, the Jamaica peppers, and the black peppercorns. Then crush them all with a mortar and pestle until you get a nice powder.
  Half of a nutmeg seed, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbsp. coriander seeds, 6 Jamaica peppers, 1 tsp. black peppercorns, 1 tsp. cloves
• In a food processor or a blender, combine the green onions, the large onion, the bonnet peppers, the thyme leaves, and the garlic cloves until you get a puree.
  3 green onions, 1 large onion, 10 sprigs of fresh thyme, 10 garlic cloves, 2 to 3 Scotch Bonnet peppers
• In a big bowl, combine the spice powder and the puree, then add the lime juice and the coconut aminos and whisk it all well.
  1 cup of coconut aminos, ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• Place the chicken in a non-metallic container and pour the mixture all over it. Cover the dish, and marinate in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or overnight.
  4 to 5 lbs. of chicken pieces
• Preheat your oven to 350 F.
• Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
• When the 30 minutes is almost up, preheat a BBQ or grill to medium-high.
• Remove the chicken from the oven, and finish it off with a turn on the grill.

Nutrition

Calories: 1128kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 88gFat: 70gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 15gMonounsaturated Fat: 29gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 340mgSodium: 1689mgPotassium: 1411mgFiber: 7gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1579IUVitamin C: 178mgCalcium: 157mgIron: 6mg

Keyword jerk chicken

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