Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Tags: #meat #chicken #grilling #Jamaican #Caribbean #spicy
Serving: 4 servings
Total time: 12 hours 30 minutes
Charcoal-grilled chicken marinated in a fiery, aromatic jerk paste of Scotch bonnet, allspice, thyme, and citrus, finished with smoky char.
Ingredients
- 1500 g bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks)
- 120 g scallions
- 20 g garlic
- 20 g fresh ginger
- 20 g Scotch bonnet peppers
- 10 g fresh thyme leaves
- 10 g ground allspice
- 2 g ground cinnamon
- 1 g ground nutmeg
- 4 g ground black pepper
- 16 g kosher salt
- 30 g dark brown sugar
- 60 ml fresh lime juice
- 60 ml orange juice
- 30 ml apple cider vinegar
- 30 ml soy sauce
- 30 ml neutral oil
- 30 g pimento (allspice) wood chips (optional)
- 120 g lime wedges (for serving)
Steps
- Trim excess fat from the chicken.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Score the chicken skin and thickest parts with shallow 1 cm slashes.
- Blend the scallions, garlic, ginger, Scotch bonnets, thyme, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, salt, brown sugar, lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, and oil to a smooth paste.
- Reserve 60 ml of the jerk paste in a clean container.
- Place the chicken in a nonreactive bowl or zipper bag.
- Coat the chicken evenly with the remaining jerk paste.
- Cover the bowl or seal the bag.
- Refrigerate the chicken for 8–24 hours.
- Soak the pimento wood chips in water for 30 minutes (optional).
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator.
- Set up a charcoal grill for two-zone cooking.
- Light the charcoal.
- Adjust the vents to hold 175–190°C in the indirect zone.
- Drain the soaked wood chips (optional).
- Add the wood chips to the hot coals (optional).
- Clean the grill grates.
- Oil the grill grates.
- Scrape excess marinade off the chicken skin.
- Place the chicken skin-side up over indirect heat.
- Cover the grill.
- Cook for 20 minutes.
- Baste the chicken with the reserved jerk paste.