Authentic Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Directions

  1. 1Add green onion, regular onion, a generous handful of heartburn (garlic), a nice bundle of thyme with stems, brown sugar, fresh ginger, and four scotch bonnets to a food processor.
  2. 2Add black peppercorns, bay leaf, and nutmeg to a spice grinder and blend them up.
  3. 3To the food processor, add white vinegar or lime juice and a generous pinch of salt, then blend everything together to create the wet marinade.
  4. 4Score the whole cut-up chicken to help the marinade penetrate.
  5. 5Directly salt the chicken.
  6. 6Generously apply store-bought dry jerk seasoning onto the chicken.
  7. 7Apply the wet marinade to the chicken, saving some for later.
  8. 8Mix the marinade into the chicken with your hands.
  9. 9Marinate the chicken for at least 24 hours.
  10. 10To make the jerk glaze, add ketchup and brown sugar to a saucepan and let it warm up.
  11. 11Drop in the saved wet jerk seasoning into the saucepan and cook it down to prevent it from being too potent.
  12. 12Place the chicken skin side down on a hot grill or grill pan to build a crust and char.
  13. 13Slowly grill the chicken to avoid burning the marinade, cooking until it reaches about 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
  14. 14Douse every piece of chicken with the jerk barbecue sauce.
  15. 15Throw the chicken back on the grill or in the oven to caramelize the sugars.
  16. 16Serve, optionally dipping in jerk ranch.

Ingredients

  • 2 whole chickens, cut up
  • 2 tbsp dry jerk seasoning
  • 4 green onions
  • 1 small white/yellow onion
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 4 thyme stems
  • 0.33 cup dark brown sugar
  • 0.25 cup white vinegar
  • 0.25 cup neutral oil
  • 4 scotch bonnets
  • 10 pimento seeds
  • 1 tbsp black pepper corns
  • 1 bay leaf’s
  • 2 tsp nutmeg
  • to taste Salt
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar
  • 0.5 cup water
  • 0.25 cup wet jerk seasoning (cook it down)
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp jerk bbq sauce
  • 1 cup ranch

Equipment

food processorspice grindersaucepanhot grillgrill panoven

Tips

  • Score the meat to help the marinade penetrate.
  • Directly salt the chicken for perfect amount.
  • Marinate the chicken for at least 24 hours.
  • Cook down the jerk seasoning for the glaze to prevent it from being too potent.
  • Slowly grill the chicken to avoid burning the marinade.
  • Douse every piece with jerk barbecue sauce after grilling to caramelize the sugars.
Authentic Jamaican Jerk Chicken | Clip Recipe