Cook Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Jerk spice is the classic flavor of Jamaica, and jerk chicken is one of the island's quintessential dishes. While there are as many variations on the recipe as their are cooks, all jerk chicken has a spicy, tangy complexity to it that is hard to beat, but surprisingly easy to replicate.

Ingredients

  • 1 3-4lb chicken (or 3lbs of breast meat)
  • 2 yellow onions
  • Seasoning salt
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 2 Scotch Bonnet peppers (jalapenos can be substituted)
  • 1 green lime
  • White vinegar
  • 2/3 cups of sugar
  • A pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 tsp allspice

Steps

Making a "Wet" Marinade (Grilled Chicken)

  1. Quarter a whole chicken and squeeze fresh lime juice over it all. You can buy the chicken pre-quartered, or you can do it yourself easily with a sharp knife and some kitchen shears. You'll end up with four pieces -- two thighs and two breasts.To do so:
    • Pull the thighs away from the breast and cut them away at the joint.
    • Use the scissors to cut the breastbone off the chicken.
    • Flip the chicken back over, breast up.
    • Cut lengthwise through the chicken, splitting the breast in two.[1]
    • Squeeze fresh lime juice on the chicken quarters.
  2. Chop 2 Scotch Bonnet peppers, a bushel of green onions, and one small yellow onion into large chunks. These vegetables will go into a food processor later, so don't worry about getting them too fine right now. You just want them to fit and chop easily in the processor.
    • If you're a fan of garlic, chop up 2-3 cloves as well and throw them in.
    • Habaneros and Jalapenos will both do as substitutes in a pinch.
  3. Combine the following wet ingredients in a bowl, then transfer to your food processor. The wet ingredients are easiest to measure out first, stirred together, and then tossed in with food processor with the peppers and onions.
    • 1/3 cup olive oil
    • 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
    • 1/2 cup orange juice
    • 1/2 cup lime juice
    • 1/2 cup molasses
    • 1/4 cup soy sauce[2]
  4. Add the following spices, sugars, and dry ingredients to the food processor and blend until almost liquid. There should still be some chunks here and there, but you want this marinade to be more or less liquid. This is your jerk sauce!
    • 1 tablespoon ground thyme (or 2-3 springs fresh thyme)
    • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1 tablespoon allspice (or 7-8 whole allspice)
    • 1-2 Bay leaves
    • 1/4 cup cilantro (optional)[3]
  5. Cover the entire chicken in the jerk sauce and marinate overnight, covered, in the fridge. Yo should marinate the bird for at least 4 hours, though most chefs swear that it needs to be overnight. The acids and salt in the marinade liquids will tenderize the meat and lend more flavor to the meat.[4]
  6. Heat up an outdoor grill to approximately 350F. If this is a charcoal grill, it will take about 30-40 minutes to heat up, though a propane grill will be at heat within 10 minutes. If you don't have thermometer on your grill, the right heat is roughly when you can't hold your hand over the grill (6" away) for more than 3-4 seconds.[5]
  7. Cook for approximately 1 hour in the oven or on the barbecue until done, Flipping every 7-8 minutes. The chicken should be cooked to 160F degrees all the way through, with a crispy skin crossed with grill marks. Every 2-3 times you flip the bird, baste it with a little bit more jerk marinade.[6]
  8. Remove chicken from oven or grill and serve, after it has rested for 5 minutes. As meat cooks, the juices that keep it tender are released into the meat. If you cut the meat while it is still piping hot, these juices leak out and lead to dry, rough meat. But if you simply wait 5 minutes or so, the juices will reabsorb into the chicken, leading to a much more delicious bird.[7]

Making a Dry Marinade (Oven-Roasted)

  1. Rinse off and quarter a 3-4 lb chicken, leaving the skin on. Remove the chicken from the fridge, rinse it off and pat it dry, then get your sharpest knife out. You can buy chicken quarters pre-cut at many stores, but it is cheaper and fresher to quarter the chicken yourself. To do so, start with the chicken breast-side up, then:
    • Pull the thighs away from the breasts and cut them off at the joint.
    • Flip the chicken over and, using a pair of kitchen sheers, cut the backbone out of the chicken.
    • Flip the chicken back over and cut the breast in half lengthwise, slicing through the ribcage.[1]
  2. Using a mortar and pestal, crush up 7-8 kernels of whole allspice as finely as possible. This recipe is rather simple, but the difference between freshly ground allspice and a jar of it from the store is remarkable. If you can't get your hands on whole allspice, substitute a full tablespoon of the spice.
  3. Roughly chop up 1-2 Scotch Bonnet peppers and 1 bunch of green onions. You can substitute in jalapenos if you need. Don't worry about getting them too fine, as everything will get blended up finely in a food processor later. You're just cutting it up now to make sure everything fits.
  4. Toss 3 tablespoons seasoning salt, 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, and a pinch of black pepper in the food processor with the peppers, onions, and allspice. If you'd like to take this rub a little further, you can also toss in the following spices, choosing your favorites:
    • 2-3 cloves chopped garlic
    • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg[8]
  5. Add 1/2 cup of water to the food processor and blend until there are only light chunks. You want a spreadable, but still not entirely wet, marinade -- a bit like wet, chunky sand. Use the "pulse" setting to chop it up to your desired consistency. This is your jerk marinade!
  6. Alternatively, hand mash all the ingredients into a paste using a mortar and pestal. If you don't have a food processor, you should do things the old fashioned way -- crushing by hand. You'll want to chop the peppers and green onions as finely as possible first, then start crushing it bit by bit, adding more once you have the first handful or so crushed into a nice, chunky paste.
  7. Spread half off the jerk marinade under the skin of the chicken. Lift the skin up slightly and slide your marinade underneath, spreading it across the whole chicken. Make sure you don't pull the skin off of the chicken -- you just want to lift the skin enough to get the marinade underneath.
  8. Spread half of the remaining marinade on top of the chicken, saving the rest for basting. If you're running out of marinade, you can just use some salt and pepper, saving the rest for basting or a dipping sauce. Make sure you keep a few tablespoons of marinade to drop on the chicken as it cooks.
  9. Refrigerate the chicken overnight in an oven-safe pan to marinade. At the very bare minimum, you want to let the chicken marinade for 4 hours, but overnight is the best way to spice the chicken by far. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit to absorb the flavors.
  10. Heat the oven to 350 and cook the chicken for 1 hour, flipping halfway through. Start the chicken meat sides up, basting the quarters with the leftover jerk marinade and flipping after 30 minutes. You want the internal temperature of the chicken to reach 160F. If you stick a thick through with a skewer, the juice that runs out should be clear.
    • If you want extra crispy skin, finish the chicken breast-side up on broil for 5-7 minutes.
    • You can cook this chicken on the grill ass well
  11. Serve hot, with rice and beans and a splash of fresh lime juice. If you have any leftover jerk marinade you can pour it over the cooked chicken or set it aside as a dipping sauce. Once the chicken is done, let it sit for 5 minutes before cutting into it, then serve hot.



Tips

  • Marinate overnight for more flavor and juiciness
  • What, you don't have a meat thermometer? Ensure your chicken is fully cooked by cutting the meat open at its thickest point and making sure the juices are clear, not pink. Also, make sure the meat isn't pink, especially near the bone.

Warnings

  • Undercooked chicken may harbor the Salmonella bacteria, which can cause sickness such as vomiting, diarrhea, and even death. Symptoms are more likely to be serious in infants, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.
  • Scotch Bonnets are very hot peppers. Adjust the quantity to your taste. Avoid touching your face and other sensitive tissue while handling the peppers. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling -- the pepper oil sticks onto your skin and can irritate eyes and mucus membranes.

Things You'll Need

  • Baking Dish
  • Blender
  • Oven/Barbecue

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.marthastewart.com/1064398/quartering-chicken-how
  2. ↑ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamaican-jerk-chicken-recipe1.html?oc=linkback
  3. ↑ http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/jamaican-jerk-chicken-234807
  4. ↑ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamaican-jerk-chicken-recipe1.html
  5. ↑ https://www.heb.com/recipe/recipe-article/grill-times-temperatures-for-steak/1392677044707
  6. ↑ allrecipes.com/recipe/25471/jamaican-jerk-chicken/
  7. ↑ http://www.jamaicatravelandculture.com/food_and_drink/jerk_chicken.htm
  8. ↑ http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/jamaican-jerk-chicken-234807
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