Jamaican Jerk Chicken
When visiting Jamaica or the Caribbean Islands, you'll most likely be invited by a lovely aroma coming from these little traditional houses called Jerk huts. In a casual outdoor dining setting, you can experience jerk chicken grilled the traditional way over green pimento wood. Enjoy the authentic taste of Jamaican pimento at home with our jerk chicken spice blend.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken legs or thighs with skin
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 2 shallots roughly cut
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1-2 tbsp brown sugar to taste
- 1 lime or lemon quartered
- oil
- salt
Jerk Culinary Spice Kit
- Pouch [1] Allspice (Jamaican pimento), thyme, black peppercorn, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg
- Pouch [2] Habanero chili very hot!
Suggested Sides
- Cooked rice or baked potatoes.
- Slices of fresh mango or papaya.
- Caribbean rice & beans (recipe link in the notes)
- Caribbean coleslaw (recipe link in the notes)
Instructions
Marinate
- In a BLENDER, add garlic, shallots, tamari, vinegar, sugar, 2 tbsp oil, Jerk [1] spices, and a pinch of salt.
- Add Jerk [2] spices to taste.
- Blend into a smooth paste.
- In a CONTAINER, add the chicken pieces and mix them well with the marinade.
- Let them marinate in the fridge for 24 hours. Turn the chicken pieces occasionally.
Bake
- Preheat OVEN to 400°F. Place chicken pieces on a greased BAKING SHEET.
- Bake in the center of the OVEN, turning occasionally, for 20-30 minutes until all chicken pieces are cooked through.
- When they are browned enough on the outside, turn the heat down to 350°F.
Serve
- Sprinkle the jerk chicken pieces with lime juice to taste and serve them with your preferred sides. Enjoy!
Notes
- Grill the marinated chicken at your next BBQ.
- For a darker skin, brown the chicken pieces over high heat on a greased GRIDDLE or PAN before you bake them in the OVEN until cooked through.
- Caribbean rice and beans recipe
- In the Caribbean, rice and beans are often called rice and peas because, originally, the dish is made with pigeon peas. Today, kidney beans are most commonly used.Caribbean Coleslaw
