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Jerk Chicken

Prep Time:

30 minutes

Cook Time:

1 hour

Serves:

2

Level:

Advanced

About the Recipe

Jerk chicken charred and top with a spicy barbecue sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken, spatchcocked


Marinade

  • 2-4 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, stems removed

  • 1 bunch green onion

  • Half onion

  • 6 cloves garlic

  • 1 thumb ginger, peeled and sliced

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce

  • 1 lime, juice and zest

  • 1/2 orange, juice and zest

  • 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

  • 12 sprigs thyme

  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

  • ground allspice

  • ground clove

  • ground cinnamon

  • ground nutmeg

  • black pepper

  • salt


If you will make the barbecue sauce, reserve 3 tablespoons of marinade.


Jerk barbecue sauce (optional but recommended)

  • 1/2 cup ketchup

  • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

  • juice of half an orange

  • 1/2 teaspoon orange zest

  • 2-3 tablespoons of your jerk marinade

  • 3 dashes Worcestershire

  • ground allspice

  • ground clove

  • ground cinnamon

  • ground nutmeg

  • black pepper

  • salt

Preparation

  1. Combine marinade ingredients in a blender and food processor, then combine until smooth.

  2. Cover the chicken in your marinade and allow to rest for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight up to 24 hours. Every few hours, be sure to flip the chicken to have equal marinade contact on both sides.

  3. When you are ready to cook, heat a smoker or grill to around 350 F.

    1. If you are using a smoker, you can optionally lower the temperature to your desired heat if you wish to smoke longer.

  4. Place the chicken bone side down and cook for about 40 minutes, lightly basting with the barbecue sauce every 10 minutes. You want the breasts to register around 135-140 F and the leg quarters to register around 145-150.

  5. After you have registered these temperatures, turn the heat up to around 475-500 F.

  6. Flip the chicken skin side down to develop a char. This can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes.

  7. Pull the chicken when the breasts register 155 F and the leg quarters register 165-170 F.

    1. By this time, you can generally pull the leg quarters apart from the breasts so that they can be pulled separately if needed.

  8. Let the chicken rest on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.

  9. Serve with rice, black beans, plantains, and optionally the jerk barbecue sauce.

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