Easy Jerk Chicken
Cook Time: ~30 Minutes
Jerk chicken may require a large ensemble of ingredients, but it is made up of things you should already have in your spice cupboard and is relatively simple to make. The key lies in the marination process, which should be at least 18 hours. It’s a classic dish and well worth the wait.
Traditionally, jerk chicken is served alongside rice & peas, but on this occasion, I opted to pair it with pineapple, avocado and chilli salsa; the same salsa recipe I shared in a previous recipe. This adds a light and refreshing burst of sweetness and heat that pairs well with jerk.
Serves: 2-4
Prep: ~10 minutes (with time for marination)
Cook: ~30 minutes
Ingredients
Chicken thighs (1kg)
Two scotch bonnet chillis
Bunch of spring onions
Finger of ginger
One white onion
Four cloves of garlic
The zest and juice of one lime
Dried thyme (1 tsp)
Freshly grated nutmeg (1 tsp)
Dried cinnamon (1 tsp)
Allspice (1 tsp)
Five spice (1 tsp)
Ground black pepper (1 tbsp)
Soy sauce (4 tbsp)
Soft brown sugar (3 tbsp)
Olive oil (2 tbsp)
Salt
Notes
Chicken: Here I use thighs, but this marinade works on other cuts of chicken, and fish too.
Equipment
Large mixing bowl
Mise En Place
Add all of your ingredients, minus the chicken, into a food processor and blitz, ensuring you peel and roughly chop the larger ingredients.
Once the jerk marinade is formed, score chicken skin and cut ~1cm deep into the flesh to allow the flavour to soak into the meat.
Empty the chicken and the marinade into a bag, mix well, and refrigerate for between 18 to 24 hours.
The Cook
You can use this marinade to fry, BBQ, or grill the chicken, but in my case, I cooked it in the oven at 200°C (~390°F) until the skin was slightly crisp and the meat cooked throughout, for ~30 minutes.
Once cooked, serve alongside whichever side dish you have prepared, sprinkle lime zest over the chicken, and add a wedge of lime. Enjoy.
If you attempt this dish, let me know how it goes, and if you variate the recipe in any way. This newsletter relies upon word of mouth, so if you know someone who would enjoy this recipe please share it.
Thanks for reading,
Conor