Jamaican Jerk Grilled Chicken

By James Kimble September 3, 2024 6 mins read 145 Views

A delicious, homemade Jamaican Jerk Grilled Chicken is bursting with savory and spicy Caribbean-inspired flavors!

Caribbean cuisine is incredibly diverse, but one thing remains true: Jamaican jerk chicken consistently reigns supreme with its bold and tantalizing flavors. The blend of herbs, earthy spices, and piquant flavors is truly amazing. We’ve developed a delicious, versatile jerk marinade for this recipe. Use it on chicken, seafood, pork, turkey, tofu, and more!

What is Jamaican Jerk?

Jerk is a cooking style native to Jamaica. Meats like chicken or pork are marinated in a blended spicy mixture of earthy spices, Scotch Bonnet peppers, herbs, and green onions. The meat is then slow-roasted or grilled over pimento wood, and served over rice, with plantains, and a fruit-based salsa. While marinating is the top method for preparing Jamaican jerk, some will use a dry rub instead. One method isn’t necessarily better than the other. We recommend the rub for shorter cooking items like seafood, thin cut pork chops, kebabs, and chicken breasts. The marinade is great for larger or tougher cuts of meat like dark meat chicken, pork roasts, beef, thick cut pork chops, and turkey.

How spicy is Jamaican Jerk?

Traditional Jamaican Jerk typically includes Scotch Bonnet Peppers, which are flavorful but incredibly hot! Scotch bonnets are similar to habanero peppers in both heat and flavor. Unless you are accustomed to eating hot chilis, we suggest starting with a milder pepper, such as jalapeno or serrano, and then gradually moving on to cayenne peppers before trying Scotch Bonnets. As always, wear food-safe gloves when handling chilis. Remove the seeds and white “veins” located around the seeds to reduce the spiciness. Leave the seeds intact for a spicier marinade.

Ingredients

6 chicken drumsticks
Onion: Use white or red for a sharper finish or yellow for a mellow onion flavor.
Green Onion (scallions)
Garlic
Ginger (minced fresh or 1/4 teaspoons powdered ginger)
Chili Pepper: jalapeno, serrano, cayenne, habanero, or scotch bonnets
Soy sauce (tamari or coconut aminos)
Vegetable oil
White vinegar, distilled (sub with lime juice)
Fresh thyme
White sugar (or brown sugar for more caramelized flavor)
Sea salt
Allspice (This is an important spice for Jamaican Jerk chicken)
Black pepper
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Hot sauce (optional)

How to make Jerk Marinade

Blend ingredients: Place all marinade ingredients into a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Depending on the size of your blender, this process might need to be split into two batches.
Marinade consistency: Jerk marinades have the same consistency as blended salsa. However, it should not be too thick. Add 1-2 tablespoons of extra water to thin out the ingredients as they blend.
Use Jamaican jerk marinade right after blending. See below for marinating times.
Storing: If made ahead of time, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. We recommend making it the day before so that the flavors have time to combine.

What is the best way to use jerk marinade?

Jerk marinade can be relatively thick once it’s blended. For that reason we recommend making 2-3 small slits in the meat with a sharp knife or using a jaccard meat tenderizer before marinating. Use the knife method on chicken legs and bone-in thighs. Use the jaccard method on chicken breasts and boneless chicken thighs.

Making Jamaican Jerk Grilled Chicken

Trim away any excess skin or fat from the chicken. Do not remove all the skin, but tidy it up a bit.
Make two 1/4″ deep slits into each drumstick.
Place them into a zip-top bag, and pour jerk marinade on top. Work the drumsticks around for even coverage. Release air from the bag, and seal tightly.
Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.

Grilling

Fuel: For the most authentic flavor, we recommend using a charcoal grill for this Jamaican jerk chicken recipe with pimento (allspice) wood or leaves. However, a pellet grill and cherry wood will work in a pinch!
Prepare your grill for an indirect cooking temperature of 325 degrees F. Add wood chips about 5 minutes before cooking time.
Place chicken on the grill, cover, and cook for 35-40 minutes.
Check the internal temperature of the meat. Once it reaches 170 degrees F, transfer over the direct cooking space of your grill. Sear them for 1-2 minutes, rotating the drumsticks as needed.
If using a pellet grill, sear according to the manufacturer’s instructions. You can also broil the chicken in the oven.
Serve Jamaican Jerk chicken with rice, beans, and grilled vegetables.

Storing leftovers

Store leftover Jamaican Jerk marinated chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Reheat in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes until heated to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Marinating Times

The jerk marinade used in this recipe is delicious on all types of proteins and vegetables. This recipe makes 1 cup of marinade or enough for 1 1/2-2 pounds of meat. Increase the marinade recipe as needed.

Chicken, whole cut-up: 12-24 hours
Chicken breasts: marinate for 8-12 hours.
Pork chops and roasts: marinate for 8-24 hours.
Beef: 12-24 hours
Vegetables and Meat Substitutes: 30-40 minutes.
Fish and Seafood: Marinate in Jamaican jerk marinade for no more than 30 minutes.

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