Jerk Chicken
Smoked Jerk chicken is smoky, spicy, tangy, savoury, earthy and delectably delicious. Served with rice & peas, pineapple jerk jam and fried plantain, this dish is an absolute winner at any BBQ.
Equipment
- 1 Lidded BBQ or BBQ smoker
Ingredients
- 2 kg skin-on whole chicken or chicken legs or wings
- 3 whole scotch bonnet peppers
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 6 whole spring onions
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 120 ml soy sauce
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp nutmeg frshly grated
- 4 limes zest and juice
- 100 ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tbso black pepper freshly ground
Pineapple jerk jam
- ½ red onion finely diced
- 1 knob butter around 20g
- 2 rings tinned pineapple
- 200 ml pineapple juice from the tin
- 1 scotch bonnet chilli
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp nutmeg freshly grated
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp gelatine powder optional
- thyme leaves from 2 sprigs
Instructions
Making the jerk paste
- Make the jerk paste by blending the ingredients in a food processor.
- It's a perfect balance of spice, acidity, earthiness and subtle sweetness.
- I hope we've convinced you to make your own jerk paste.
- Add the jerk paste to the chicken and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Setting up your BBQ
- Setup your BBQ grill for indirect cooking.
- Place the smoking wood above the charcoal grate on one side of the BBQ and place the dry-rubbed chicken on the other side of the BBQ. Close the lid and cook until the internal temperature reaches 75°C.Alternatively, cook in the oven at gas mark 6 (200°C).
- After 20mins.
- Close the lid on the BBQ and cook until the chicken reaches 75°C. Wings will take less time than legs and whole chicken.
- When the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 75°C. Sear over hot coals to crisp up the skin.Alternatively, you can place the chicken under a hot grill.
Pineapple jerk jam
- The pineapple jerk jam compliments the jerk chicken.
- Saute the red onion in the butter until the onions soften.
- Using a hand blender, blend the scotch bonnet, the pineapple rings and the pineapple juice.
- Add the pineapple and scotch bonnet chilli mixture to the sauteed onions.
- Add the ground allspice, brown sugar, nutmeg and salt to taste.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce down until thick and jammy.Optionally, you can add a tsp of gelatine.
- Add the thyme leaves and take off the heat.
- Chalo Jerk Chicken Kawa
- Taste test!
- Smokey, spicy, citrusy. Absolutley wonderful. You have to try our jerk chicken recipe.
Any questions
- How can you cook the jerk chicken in the oven?
- Can you make this with skin-off wings?
- Do you have to add sugar in the spice paste?
- Substitute of scotch bonnet peppers?
