Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Photo: Frederick Shaw / Unsplash
Chicken marinated in a fiery, fragrant paste of Scotch bonnet chillies, allspice, thyme, spring onions, garlic, ginger and lime, then slow-grilled until charred, smoky and juicy. Serve with rice and peas and a cold drink.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the jerk paste
Blend the spring onions, Scotch bonnets, garlic, ginger, allspice, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, sugar, tamari, lime juice, oil and salt to a thick paste. Wear gloves when handling Scotch bonnets — they are very hot.
Marinate
Cut a few deep slits in each chicken piece, down to the bone. Rub the paste all over and into the cuts. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Heat the grill
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Cook slowly
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Char
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Rest and serve
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Make the jerk paste
Blend the spring onions, Scotch bonnets, garlic, ginger, allspice, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, sugar, tamari, lime juice, oil and salt to a thick paste. Wear gloves when handling Scotch bonnets — they are very hot.
Marinate
Cut a few deep slits in each chicken piece, down to the bone. Rub the paste all over and into the cuts. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Heat the grill
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Cook slowly
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Char
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Rest and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Jerk grew out of the cooking of the Taíno, Jamaica's first inhabitants, and of the Maroons — Africans who escaped slavery and formed free communities in the island's mountains from the 17th century. They seasoned meat with spices and slow-cooked it in covered pits, a technique that preserved it and left little smoke to give their camps away.
Today jerk is made with chicken, pork and fish, and roadside jerk stands with their smoking drum grills are found all over the island. Boston Bay in Portland parish is often called the birthplace of jerk.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Jerk is Jamaica's signature flavour: the warmth of allspice, the fruity fire of Scotch bonnets and the smoke of pimento wood.
💡 Fun Fact
Allspice, the heart of jerk, is native to Jamaica — and in Jamaica the spice and the tree are both called pimento.
Jamaica (Boston Bay, Portland)
18.17°N, -76.37°W
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