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 tbsp 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 jerk marinated 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?
