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!
This Recipe Is In our Cookbook - FLAVOR MADNESS
Did you know that you can find this recipe in our new cookbook FLAVOR MADNESS? It's waiting for you on PAGE 237.
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.
Roger Goode says
Given the timing of this months challenge, I decided to make the Jerk Chicken the basis of my Easter dinner. Certainly, that’s an untraditional choice for a New England household, but I live alone and I like non-traditional holidays. So I searched your site for a few more Jamaican recipes and ended up with the following for Easter dinner: Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Jamaican Rice and Peas, and Callaloo. (I also had a cabbage on hand that I wanted to use up, so I found a recipe elsewhere for a Jamaican Fried Cabbage.)
Unfortunately, I’m not able to find Scotch Bonnet Peppers anywhere around here, so I had to default to Habaneros—and I bought a bunch of them, as all four recipes called for them. My only other substitution was for the Callaloo… callaloo leaves are just not to be found here in New Hampshire, but I also had some Kale on hand this week, so I substituted those.
Of course, the star of the show was the Jerk Chicken. I prefer dark meat, so found a package of chicken legs (thighs & drum) big enough to provide leftovers for the week. I made the marinade on Friday, so the chicken was marinating for about 36+ hours before I cooked it. It was delicious! I don’t know if it was the extra marinating time, but it was also very moist and juicy!
I’m very happy for the leftovers… This collection of recipes is terrific!
Mike H. says
Thank you, Roger. I am glad to hear that you've enjoyed the recipe and made your own modifications to it. Enjoy!
John W says
This recipe got thumbs up from everyone, including several who are not spice people! I admit, having never made this recipe before, that I used my family and another as "guinea pigs" for our Easter dinner, and I have no remorse for doing it. The other dad in the group said he absolutely loved it (surprising praise) and would "allow" me to make it for him again. Thanks, Shane! I cooked the chicken over lump hardwood charcoal and a few sticks of post oak, which gave it some good char. I am the heat lover in my family, so I wasn't sure how everyone would be able to handle this recipe. It had a little kick, but we chose to pair the chicken with the ChiliPepperMadness recipe for Hawaiian Macaroni Salad. Everyone was very complimentary of the combo and said the macaroni salad helped tone down the heat level. I followed the recipe exactly, with two exceptions: pineapple juice and dehydrated habanero powder. I added about 1/4 cup of pineapple juice to the marinade, mainly because we had grilled pineapple with the dinner and I figured it could not hurt, and for my chicken I dusted it with some dehydrated habanero powder before grilling just to get to the heat level I like. I marinated the chicken (boneless breasts and thighs) for about 30 hours, which really gave the meat super flavor and I think helped it stay moist on the grill. I have made a bunch of Mike's recipes and the family and I have NEVER been disappointed. He cooks like we eat. This recipe is definitely going into the rotation and is top 5 of the ones we have tried, for sure. Thanks for the help in the kitchen, Mike, and keep these delicious recipes coming.
Mike Hultquist says
This is FANTASTIC to hear! Perfect for Easter! I love to hear it, and I'm very happy your family enjoyed the change up! Perfection!! Thanks so much, John!
Ben says
Mike, another knockout recipe. First time I’ve ever made jerk chicken without just buying a store bought paste and marinating that way. Much better this time! I did end up marinating the chicken for 48 hours and it turned out juicy and delicious.
Mike H. says
Great choice. Happy you've enjoyed it, Ben!
Creagh Warren says
Once again, Mike, I took up your challenge and was rewarded with a divine dish. Succulent, flavour infused chicken. As you know, I did my own version of rice but your jerk chicken was the star.
Mike Hultquist says
Wonderful! Very happy you enjoyed it, Creagh! One of my favorites. I do appreciate it!
Tim Lawlor says
How would you recommend I use my dehydrated Scotch bonnet peppers instead of fresh?
Mike Hultquist says
Tim, you can use 1 tablespoon Scotch bonnet powder (adjust to taste) for the heat and fruitiness, but use either sweet peppers or part of an orange bell for the substance and base flavor. It works well. Let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!
Jen Long says
Hey Mike! Just curious, would it be possible to make extra of this marinade and can it so we can have this amazing marinade on tap?
Mike Hultquist says
Hey, Jen! Yes, this freezes nicely! I have my Jerk Marinade Recipe here as well: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/jerk-marinade/
Rhy says
Have been using this recipe for two years now, never fails to be delicious. Goes great with some plain Greek yogurt to even out heat for people (like myself) with a weak tolerance, who still want a kick.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Rhy!! Very happy you're enjoying it!! I do appreciate it.
Jacob Pidduck says
This recipe was absolutely delicious, I used 2 small Carolina Reapers, and the heat was perfect for me
Mike Hultquist says
Boom!! Excellent heat right there, Jacob!! Glad you enjoyed it, and thank you VERY MUCH for commenting. Ratings are SUPER HELPFUL to helping people find me and these recipes. Cheers!
Kelly C. says
Hi Mike,
What a GREAT recipe! I made this tonight, using your recipe exactly. I used a couple pounds of skinless/boneless chicken thighs with 6 large Habanero peppers. I used a meat shredder to puncture the thighs for more marinating surface area, threw them on the grill at a medium-high heat, and BOOM! I loved it! The chicken was tender, juicy, spicy, sweet, a bit of tongue tingling heat, it checked every box! Adult candy! Thanks Mike for another great recipe.
Mike H. says
Thank you, Kelly, for the review - enjoy it!
Dave says
can you air fry this recipe ??
Mike Hultquist says
I'm sure you can, Dave, though I have not tested that. Yet!!
eggbert says
raw mangoo ✌️✌️
Mike Hultquist says
Yes!!