This Jamaican jerk chicken recipe is loaded with Caribbean flavor, with a spicy Scotch bonnet marinade, perfect for grilling or baking, a family favorite and easy to make!
Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe
We're cooking up some Jamaican Jerk Chicken tonight, my spicy food loving friends. Without a doubt, this recipe will satisfy your taste buds. Jamaican cuisine is packed with a huge selection of piquant spices and ingredients.
As we've discussed before, spicy doesn't always mean "hot" in cooking, though with Jamaican cuisine, as it is with the wonderful Caribbean, it often does bring that heat so many of us crave.
This particular recipe brings the fiery heat in the form of scotch bonnet peppers, some of my favorites in terms of heat and flavor.
You'll also get an excellent level of overall spiciness. I'm sure this recipe will find a new place in your cooking rotation.
We're talking Jamaican Jerk Chicken, my friends, and it's wonderful.
What is "Jerk" Cooking?
"Jerk" cooking refers to the style of cooking originally done in Jamaica. It follows the process of poking meats with holes, allowing more flavors to permeate it, reaching deeper within.
This process is called "Jerking".
Over the years, the term has become more generic for any jerk recipe, referring not only to the original cooking process, but to the familiar spicy rubs and blends, jerk marinade and jerk sauce.
Let's talk about how to make Jamaican jerk chicken, shall we?
Jamaican Jerk Chicken Ingredients
- Peppers. Use fiery Scotch Bonnet peppers, or you can use habanero peppers.
- Red Onion.
- Garlic.
- Scallions. Or green onions.
- Liquids. Soy sauce, vinegar (either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar), olive oil, orange juice, lime juice.
- Herbs and Spices. Freshly grated ginger, brown sugar, nutmeg, allspice berries, cinnamon, dried thyme (or fresh), salt and black pepper.
- Chicken. You can use any cuts of chicken to make jerk chicken. I am using a whole chicken, cut up, though use your favorite.
How to Make Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Make the Jerk Marinade. First, add all of the jerk marinade ingredients to a food processor and process until nice and smooth. Like so.
Pierce the Chicken. Next, pierce the chicken with a knife in several places. This will let the marinade reach deeper into the meat.
You can use any type of chicken for the recipe, though cooking times will vary, depending on the chicken chosen, particularly thick chicken breast.
Marinate the Chicken. Add the chicken to a large bowl or into a sealable baggie. Pour the marinade over the chicken and rub it down. You want to completely cover the chicken with the marinade.
Marinate at Least 2 Hours. Cover and refrigerate. Marinate the chicken at least 2 hours, though you'll get more flavor penetration if you plan ahead and refrigerate overnight.
You can marinate for 30 minutes if you don't have the time, though you won't get quite the flavor penetration.
When you're ready to cook, heat up your grill to medium high heat or heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade.
Cook the Chicken. Lightly oil the grill grates and grill your chicken over a hot charcoal grill for 12-20 minutes, until the chicken measures 165 degrees F internal temperature.
Alternatively, you can bake the chicken for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Grilling is more traditional, but baking is easy.
Again, your cooking times will vary if you use different cuts of chicken.
Serve the Jerk Chicken. Remove from heat and serve them up. I like to squeeze a bit of lime juice over the top of my chicken, though see my tips below for another serving method.
Boom! Done! Looks wonderful, doesn't it? I love Jamaican jerk chicken! This is my favorite recipe out there. Works with any cut of chicken - chicken legs, chicken thighs, leg quarters, even whole chicken.
Recipe Tips
- You can easily make a finishing Jamaican Jerk Sauce from the marinade. Simply make a larger batch of the marinade, then divide it in half. Use half for the marinade. Warm the remaining marinade in a small pot and pour it over the chicken to serve. So good!
- About the Jerk Marinade. Marinating is all about building flavor and tenderizing. A good marinade adds flavor above and beyond the food you are cooking with. Chicken is an ideal protein for marinades, as it is more of a blank canvas and absorbs a great deal of flavor. It also can be a bit dry if you accidentally cook it too long. A good marinade will help keep the moisture intact, making the recipe a bit more forgiving. It's a quick and simple way to get a flavorful sauce that truly compliments the meal. Check out my Jamaican Jerk Sauce Recipe here.
Adjusting the Spiciness
You'll definitely get a lot of spice with this recipe. The scotch bonnet peppers or habanero peppers will bring some heat, though it won't translate to a lot of heat in the marinade process.
If you'd like more heat, use more scotch bonnet peppers, or save some of the marinade to heat as a finishing sauce. Or, include some hotter peppers or chili powders/flakes into the marinade.
Spice it up, my friends!
Use milder peppers for an overall milder marinade and resulting flavor.
What to Serve with Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Try serving your jerk chicken with steamed rice, or try a more flavorful version, like this complimentary Puerto Rican Arroz con Pollo or this Jamaican Rice and Peas recipe.
It's also great with a fresh mango salsa or tostones. I love it!
Storage Information
Store any leftover jerk chicken in sealed containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it in vacuum sealed bags for 3 months or longer.
That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoy this Jamaican jerk chicken recipe! So good!
Try Some of These Other Popular Jamaican Inspired Recipes
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! -- Mike H.
Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (cut up, or use your favorite cuts)
FOR THE MARINADE
- 4-6 Scotch Bonnet peppers chopped
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 4-6 garlic cloves chopped
- 4 stalks scallions ends trimmed
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup vinegar use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to your preference
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice from 1 large orange about ¾ cup orange juice
- Juice from half a lime lime juice
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or use fresh if available
- Salt and pepper to taste I usually use 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon black pepper
Instructions
- For the jerk marinade, add all of the marinade ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
- Next, poke some holes in your chicken with a knife to let the marinade permeate more deeply.
- Set the chicken into a large bowl or into a sealable baggie. Pour the marinade over the chicken and rub it down. You can to completely cover the chicken with the marinade.
- Cover and refrigerate. Marinate the chicken at least 2 hours, though you'll get more flavor penetration if you plan ahead and refrigerate overnight. Discard marinade.
- TO GRILL THE CHICKEN. Heat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the chicken for 12-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. It should measure 165 degrees F internally.
- TO BAKE THE CHICKEN. Heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the chicken for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. It should measure 165 degrees F internally. Grilling is more traditional, but baking is easy.
- Remove from heat and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 6/12/23 to include new photos and information. It was originally published on 5/6/19.
Barbara says
Hi, do you cover the chicken if baking? Thanks
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Barbara. No, I did not cover it for baking. Enjoy!
Allyson Charpentier says
I couldn’t find scotch bonnet peppers anywhere. Would habanero peppers work?
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely. Enjoy!!!
Kane says
Hi my name is Kane
I just made your Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe.
fantastic when I was young I grew up the Jamaican area of Leicester
The aroma from the chicken is like Victoria park on Caribbean Carnival Day
Thank you so much for this website it is a god send
THANK YOU Kane
Mike H. says
You are very welcome, Kane! I bet those memories are priceless.
Nathley says
This recipe was spot on. I added some lime pepper seasoning. It was delicious!!!
Mike H. says
Perfect, thank you!
Betsy says
Hi Mike, question: if you’re baking this chicken, should you put it on a rack over a sheet pan or cook it in like a Pyrex casserole in the marinade.
Mike Hultquist says
Either will work, Betsy, though a rack will give it heat all around. Enjoy!!
Betsy says
This marinade is AMAZING! Chicken is marinating now and can’t wait to cook it up tomorrow! Thanks!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Betsy! I hope you love it!
Steve says
used this recipe a few times now I add coriander leaf, tastes so good
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent! Thanks, Steve!!
Diana says
I've have this bookmarked for a while, but haven't made yet. Now that I am gearing up to make it, I'm wondering what the side dish is in the last picture. It looks perfect.
I'm waiting for the Scotch Bonnet to come in season. I know I can substitute other peppers, but I really want to try it the way you wrote it. The grocery guy said it'd be another month in California.
I substituted a habanero in another recipe last month. It was probably one of your recipes. It worked out perfectly, but I'm really wanting to try this Scotch Bonnet. So, I'm waiting. Meanwhile, will you send me a link to that side dish please?
Mike Hultquist says
That is my Jamaican Rice and Peas Recipe: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/jamaican-rice-and-peas/ -- Enjoy!!
Irma says
omg. my husband asked me to make jerk chicken for his coworkers and decided to follow a recipe since I'm making it for 12 people. Just tried the marinade before putting it on the chicken and I had to make another batch for our family. can't wait to put it on the grill.
Mike Hultquist says
Great!! Glad you like it, Irma! Cheers!