If you’ve ever spent time in Jamaica, you’ve probably heard of jerk, a method of seasoning and cooking meats, such as chicken, pork, fish, beef or goat. We had our first jerk at Scotchies, in Jamaica, a restaurant well known for their delicious jerk meats. Grab a Red Stripe and watch them barbecue the delicious specials in traditional style over pimento wood.

Unfortunately, we can’t get back to Jamaica as frequently as we’d like, so we recently looked up recipes for jerk chicken. The only ingredient we had difficulty finding was a Scotch Bonnet Pepper. Habaneros can be used alternately as they have a similar heat rating, but for the most authentic Jamaican jerk taste, use Scotch Bonnet Peppers if you can find them!

As we didn’t have pimento wood or a charcoal grill to barbecue the seasoned chicken, we opted for a gas grill and the chicken turned out well. Hmmm, maybe we’ll try smoking them next time!

If you’re dying to enjoy a jerk meal and can’t get to Jamaica for the real deal, give this recipe a try. Or – if you’re really short on time, you can purchase Walkerswood Traditional Jamaican Jerk Seasoning!

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Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Ingredients

3 pds Chicken (quartered, bone in, skin on)

Jerk Seasoning

2 Limes (juiced)
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Shallots (peeled and cut in half)
8 Scallions (use entire scallion after removing the roots)
1/2 c Vegetable Oil
4 Scotch Bonnet Chili Peppers (use Habanero if you can't find Scotch Bonnet)
2 inch piece Fresh Ginger (peeled and finely chopped)
1/4 c Fresh Thyme Leaves
6 Garlic Cloves
1 tbsp Black Pepper
1 tbsp Salt
2 tbsp Ground Allspice
2 tbsp Dark Brown Sugar

Instructions

Combine all seasoning ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend into a paste.
Pat dry chicken pieces then spread the paste all over the chicken. Cover the seasoned chicken, or place in a plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or overnight.
Before grilling, bring chicken to room temperature.
Allow the grill to heat up to 300 degrees, then place chicken on the grill.
Cook chicken for 35-45 minutes (depending on the size of the pieces – even longer for large pieces), turning every 10 minutes or so. Chicken will become nicely browned and juices will be clear. Take off the grill and serve with a side such as rice and peas.

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