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This Jamaican Jerk Chicken is packed full of flavor and tons of heat. If you are in the mood for something different you need to give this dish a try. Welcome to Flavor Town!
I eat a lot of chicken. Not because I think it’s super healthy or anything, but mostly because I actually like chicken.
However, the one thing I hate is boring chicken. Chicken that lacks spice or flavor – no thank you.
We ate a lot of venison, beef, and pork growing up but not a lot of chicken. Occasionally I could talk my dad into making fried chicken or BBQ grilled chicken but that was about it.
I’m not sure why parents hated the other white meat, but it is what it is.
Now that I’m grown up, you can find me making chicken at least three times a week and always my Honey Spiced Glazed Chicken at least once a week. It’s spicy and sweet, the perfect balance of flavors. Sometimes, I make it extra spicy by throwing in even more chipotle chile powder. Yeah, I’m dangerous like that.
When I made this Jamaican jerk chicken, I was expecting a good amount of flavor and heat, but I wasn’t expecting to love it AS MUCH as I did. It was bursting with flavor and just the right amount of spice. If you do not like heat, bump down the pepper amount. You will still be left with delicious chicken that will rock your socks.
After reading many types of traditional jerk recipes, I threw together this recipe. I was a little thrown off by the combination of allspice/cinnamon and heat, but I gave it a shot. Turns out cinnamon is pretty kick ass in savory dishes. Traditional recipes also call for scotch bonnet peppers, but that is not something I can quickly get my hands on. So that is why I subbed in habanero peppers instead.
I must admit that I mainly wanted to make Jamaican jerk chicken because they always talk about it on Psych
. Man, I love that show. Do you ever love a show so much that you wish the characters were real? I know that sounds borderline stalker, but I would love for Shawn and Gus to be real. You know you all agree.
Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion, quartered
- 3 green onions, cut in half
- 1-2 Habanero peppers, seeded
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Olive oil
- 8 chicken drumsticks
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor add yellow onion, green onions, Habenero pepper, garlic, soy sauce, lime juice, thyme, allspice, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, and salt.
- Blend just until combined and the onion has broken down.
- Drizzle in enough olive oil to make a thick marinade.
- Pour marinade into a large 1-gallon ziptop bag and add chicken.
- Secure the top of the bag and move the chicken around in the bag to make sure it's completely coated.
- Add bag to a bowl or dish and marinate overnight or at least 4 hours. Keeping the bag in a bowl/dish helps keep your fridge clean in case there is a leak in the bag.
- Once the chicken is done marinading heat your grill to medium heat. Since you are using bone-in chicken you need to cook it long enough to fully cook the inside meat without burning the outside.
- Grill for about 30-35 minutes until the outside of the chicken is crisp and the inside is fully cooked.
- Serve with a sprinkle of cilantro and a wedge of lime if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Try Walkers Woods Jerk Seasoning, real jerk from Jamaica.
Excellent!
This was outstanding! Made it for dinner tonight with avocado and cilantro lime rice and it was a great success. I stumbled on your website and so glad I did!
Hi Erin! Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m so happy you love it. Plus that rice sounds delicious!