Jerk Chicken
Jerk is a Jamaican cooking tradition developed by the Maroons — escaped enslaved Africans who hid in the island's interior mountains during the colonial period. The technique combines spiced marinades, slow indirect smoking, and pimento (allspice) wood, which is indigenous to Jamaica and provides a flavour that other woods cannot replicate. Boston Bay in Portland parish is considered the origin of the style as it is now known. Allspice — called pimento in Jamaica — is the defining spice, giving warm, complex notes underneath the Scotch bonnet pepper heat. The marinade penetrates deeply: the chicken should marinate for at least eight hours, ideally overnight. Scotch bonnets deliver fruitiness alongside the heat; removing the seeds reduces intensity without eliminating the flavour. The skin should blister and char slightly over high heat while the interior stays moist.
Rich in protein
Filling and nutritious
Traditional recipe
Authentic taste
Ingredients 4 servings
- 1.5kg chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin-on, scored deeply with a knife
- 6 spring onions, roughly chopped
- 3 Scotch bonnet chilies or habaneros, seeds removed for moderate heat
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Juice of 2 limes, plus wedges to serve
How to make it
- 1Blend spring onions, Scotch bonnets, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, allspice, thyme, cinnamon, black pepper, oil, and lime juice in a food processor until a rough paste forms.
- 2Score the chicken pieces deeply down to the bone — jerk only works if the marinade penetrates inside the meat.
- 3Rub the paste all over and into every cut.
- 4Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
- 5Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
- 6To grill over charcoal: cook over medium-hot coals for 35–45 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until the juices run clear and the exterior is deeply charred in places.
- 7To oven-roast: place on a rack over a baking tray at 200°C for 40 minutes, then finish under a hot grill for 5 minutes to char the skin.
- 8Allspice is the defining spice — do not substitute with mixed spice.
- 9Rest 5 minutes before serving.
- 10Serve with rice and peas, fried plantain, and lime wedges.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
