Jamaican Jerk Chicken
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Ready to whip up Jamaica’s most iconic dish? The most deliciously spicy, smoky, and aromatic jerk chicken is just a few steps away!
Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica. Some people believe the term comes from the word charqui, a Spanish term for jerked or dried meat, which eventually became jerky in English; others claim it’s related to the constant turning or jerking of the meat to load it with the spice blend and cook it thoroughly. The ingredients for jerk chicken marinade—soy sauce, allspice, nutmeg, Chinese 5-spice powder, and Scotch bonnet peppers—exemplify Caribbean cooking, which is a distinct blend of African, European, Indian, and Asian flavors.
This grilled jerk chicken recipe, adapted from Food & Wine, is my go-to recipe. For best results, marinate the chicken overnight. The marinade is also great on beef, pork, or shrimp (although for shrimp, marinate for only 30 minutes to 1 hour), so feel free to double and freeze it for other uses. Pair jerk chicken with cilantro lime rice and a black bean salad for a lovely summer meal.
Table of Contents
“My Jamaican born husband said it was good. Enough said!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Jamaican Jerk Chicken
- Onion and scallions: Provide a base of aromatic flavor, adding depth and sweetness to the marinade.
- Scotch bonnet or Habanero chili peppers: These peppers are key for authentic jerk flavor, offering heat and a fruity spice that’s characteristic of the dish. Be careful when working with hot peppers. If you touch your eyes while handling them, it will be very painful. It’s a good idea to wear disposable gloves or wash your hands very well when you’re done.
- Garlic: Adds a pungent, earthy flavor.
- Chinese five-spice powder, allspice, dried thyme, ground nutmeg: This blend of spices delivers the signature jerk seasoning profile—warm, aromatic, and slightly sweet, with a hint of earthiness from the thyme.
- Soy sauce: Provides saltiness and umami, deepening the savory notes of the dish.
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks, or breasts): These cuts are ideal as they stay juicier during cooking. I recommend bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks over bone-in breasts for this recipe; the flavor is better and they are easier to grill without drying out. If you’d like to use bone-in chicken breasts, look for smaller ones (or cut large ones in half) so they won’t burn on the outside before the inside is fully cooked.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the marinade. Combine all of the ingredients except for the chicken in a food processor.
Process until the vegetables are finely pureed.
Place the chicken and marinade in a Ziploc freezer bag and let it marinate in the refrigerator at least eight hours or overnight.
Preheat the grill to medium heat (about 350°F). Clean and oil the cooking grate. Place the chicken, skin side up, on the cooler side of the grill and cook, covered, turning and moving occasionally to prevent burning and flare-ups, for 35 to 40 minutes.
If the skin is not yet crispy, move the chicken, skin side down, to the hotter side of the grill; cook, keeping a close watch to prevent burning, until the skin is rendered and crisp, a few minutes.
Transfer the chicken to serving platter, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with lime wedges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, jerk chicken can be roasted in the oven if a grill is unavailable. Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up, and set an oven-proof rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray. Place the chicken on the rack, skin side up, and roast until lightly browned and cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Turn on broiler (leave the pan on the middle rack), and cook 1 to 3 minutes more, or until the skin is golden brown and crispy.
Jerk chicken is known for its spicy kick, primarily coming from Scotch bonnet or Habanero peppers. The level of heat can vary depending on the amount of chili used in the marinade. If you’re sensitive to spice or prefer a milder flavor, you can reduce the number of chili peppers or remove the seeds and membranes, where most of the heat resides.
These two peppers are varieties of the same chili pepper species, and they have a similar flavor and level of heat. Scotch bonnet peppers are native to the Caribbean and are used to make authentic jerk chicken, but they can be hard to find. Habanero peppers, grown primarily in Mexico, make a great substitute. The heat comes from the seeds and membranes, so throw in the whole peppers for spicy jerk chicken. For a milder dish, remove the seeds and membranes from one or both of the peppers.
Leftover Jerk Chicken is incredibly versatile and can be repurposed into a variety of delicious meals. Consider shredding or chopping the chicken to use as a flavorful filling for tacos, wraps, quesadillas, or burrito bowls.
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Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Ready to whip up Jamaica’s most iconic dish? The most deliciously spicy, smoky, and aromatic jerk chicken is just a few steps away!
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion, cut into large chunks
- 2 scallions, quartered
- 2 Scotch bonnet or Habanero chili peppers, stemmed (and seeded, if desired; see note) and roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2½ to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks or breasts)
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Make the marinade: In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the ingredients except for the chicken. Process until the vegetables are finely puréed and the mixture is relatively smooth (the texture will be slightly gritty). Place the chicken pieces and the marinade in a large Ziploc bag; squeeze air out and seal tightly. Mash the chicken around to coat evenly with the marinade. Place the bag in a bowl (in case of leakage) and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature before grilling.
- Preheat the grill to medium heat (about 350-375°F). Clean and oil the cooking grate. Place the chicken, skin side up, on the cooler side of the grill and cook, covered, turning and moving occasionally to prevent burning and flare-ups, for 35 to 40 minutes. If the skin is not yet crispy, move the chicken, skin side down, to the hotter side of the grill; cook, keeping a close watch to prevent burning, until the skin is rendered and crisp, a few minutes. Transfer the chicken to serving platter, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with lime wedges.
- Note: Be very careful when working with Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers. They are extremely hot, and if you touch your eyes while handling them, it will be very painful. It's a good idea to wear disposable gloves or wash your hands very well when done. The heat comes from the seeds and membranes, so throw in the whole peppers for spicy jerk chicken. For a milder dish, remove the seeds and membranes from one or both of the peppers.
- Note: If you don't have a grill (or grilling weather) the chicken can be roasted in the oven instead. Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up, and set an oven-proof rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray. Place the chicken on the rack, skin side up, and roast until lightly browned and cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Turn on broiler (leave the pan on the middle rack), and cook 1 to 3 minutes more, or until the skin is golden brown and crispy.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 669
- Fat: 47 g
- Saturated fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 55 g
- Sodium: 1,369 mg
- Cholesterol: 213 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi, there what brand 5 spice do you recommend?
Thank you!
Hi Kristen, I have McCormick brand (which is what the carry at my supermarket).
Hi Jenn, do the peppers make this chicken spicy? My kids would not eat it if it is. Many thanks!
Hi Olga, it has a tiny bit of heat, but it’s subtle. If you are concerned about it, feel free to swap in a jalapeno for the scotch bonnet pepper.
Thank you, Jenn!
Cant find habanero or bonnet pepper where I live, Is there any alternative to those ?
Hi Emre, you can substitute with either a serrano or jalapeno pepper. Hope you enjoy!
found the pepper but I dont have grill machine. To bake it in oven, what temperature and how long to bake ?
Hi Emre, I’d use the baking instructions from this roasted chicken recipe. Hope you enjoy!
I dont have a grill and was wondering if I could use a whole chicken with this marinade and bake it in the oven? Thank you in advance.
Sure, Christina. You can use the temperature and timing from this roasted chicken recipe. Hope you enjoy!
When you cooked this for your family did you double the ingredients to serve 8 or did the recipe as is serve enough for everyone? Thanks.
Yes, Chad, I would double this to serve 8. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn: Since there is no vinegar or other acid in the marinade–do you think this would work well with boneless skinless chicken breasts marinated over night — perhaps sliced similar to your Tikka Masala recipe and broiled in the oven for ten minutes or so (to temp.)? Otherwise thinking bone in, skin on breast in the oven cooked per your direction using that roasted chicken recipe as a guide? I always worry about cooking chicken breasts — that they will be overcooked or cook unevenly (large bone in breasts) but this nice marinade might help keep the boneless skinless kind more moist? (I don’t have a grill.) Thanks, Jenn!
Hi Diane, Yes, it would be fine for you to marinate this chicken overnight. And while you could go either way here with boneless or bone-in breasts, personally, I’d recommend the bone-in breasts as they will be more moist and flavorful. Hope you enjoy!
I so wanted to make this for a party this weekend. NOWHERE can I find the Asian 5 Spice Powder. I tried Whole Foods, Stop and Shop, Shop Rite and some smaller groceries that carry a lot of ethnic foods.
Plus Walmart and Target. No one had it!
I should have ordered from Amazon, but kept thinking I’d find it and now too late. I did not expect it to be that hard to find.
I’m surprised, too, Cheryl – should be easy to find.
Made the jerk chicken last night. It was AWESOME!!! Followed recipe exactly except I added a heaping teaspoon of chopped fresh ginger. The flavors of the marinade are incredible; so full of spices and the chicken was so moist (I used drumsticks and thighs).
Jenn, your cookbook is one of my personal favorites. So detailed, precise, and beautiful photography! Thanks so much!!
This was amazing! Thank you for featuring the recipe. The 8 hour marinade turned into 48 hours when plans changed last minute. We grilled it all tonight, even the chicken breast piece which took longer of course, but it was all so flavorful. I think it’s the best chicken dish I have made ever. My husband and 3 boys agreed! Can’t wait to look in your cookbook for more.
Made this tonight after it sat in marinade overnight. My husband said it was the best Jerk Chicken I’ve made at home so far. He cooked the chicken (whole cut up) on combination coals and propane. It turned out amazing and the marinade lingered beautifully. The flavors were perfect together. Thought a whole habanero might be too much but it just right!