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.
Lori says
I want to jerk 20 chicken thighs so I would like to triple the recipe. my concern is, do I triple the peppers?
Mike Hultquist says
Lori, you can probably stretch the marinade quite a bit, and really don't need to triple the peppers, You'll still get plenty of heat. Enjoy!
Lina says
My husband is Jamaican (I'm Colombian) and recently asked me to find a Jerk Chicken recipe. Yours sounds wonderful! My question is; can I use whole allspice? Or ground? I've never used this ingredient before. Or does the whole allspice dissolve in the cooking process? I picked up some whole allspice awhile ago thinking one day I'd find a use for it, but don't know how! Thanks!
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, you can use whole allspice berries, but grind them to the amount indicated in the recipe. It's OK if you go over or under a little. They do not dissolve, so it is best to grind them. They're like peppercorns in that way. If you're unable to grind them into a powder, crush them as much as you can. Please let me know how you enjoy the dish. I'd love to hear.
Stephanie says
My husband and I ate at a jamaican restaurant in Chicago. The chicken was so spicy that most of our party wouldn't eat it. My husband loved it and I have tried so many recipes and they just didn't do it for my husband. Then I found your website and I tried this recipe. Though I didn't have any dutch bonnet peppers I used 4 habanero peppers. The chicken was fantastic and the spices were just right for me. Even better after a day or two. Thank you, thank you! When I get braver I will try the dutch bonnet peppers. Going to make it again soon.
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding! Glad you found me, Stephanie! Happy to help!
Charles Pascual says
Terrific marinade! Better than any I've ever purchased or made myself. Other than substituting habaneros for the scotch bonnets, I followed your recipe as written. Cooked chicken leg quarters on the grill, using some marinade as a baste and cooking down the remainder to make a table sauce. My wife, who is heat-averse but likes jerked food (I know, go figure), really liked how it turned out. Thanks, Mike.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Charles! We really love this recipe. Always a hit here! Thanks.
John O’Hanlon says
Nice
RR says
This is soooo good! When I saw it was “medium” spiced, I added cayenne, but it didn’t need it. Would definitely make again with the regular recipe as published.
Rebecca says
This is my hubs and my favorite recipe from you guys!! We LOVE it and make it almost weekly! In the summer we grill it, in winter we bake and it’s always delicious! We even marinate Tofu with it (for vegetarian meals) and love that too! We serve with Cuban beans and rice and in summer grilled pineapple.
As a tip for those who forget to marinade in time like me- Meal prep day: I toss a few pieces of chicken in a ziplock (and/or Tofu) with the marinade and freeze- then day of defrost. Turns out sooo juicy and flavorful!
Thanks for the great recipes! We love them all so far!
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding!! Thanks, Rebecca! Thanks for the tip!
Richard says
Hi Mike. This looks like a good one. A quick question. I do not have fresh Bonnets, but I have dried. Should I rehydrate them first in hot water, or just throw them into the marinade? I thank you in advance.
Mike Hultquist says
Richard, yes, you can use dried. You can really just crush them up and toss them in. They will rehydrate in the marinade. Enjoy.
Rick Ploen says
Hi Mike, I am a follower of your blog and and I try everyone of your recipes without modifications. I do have some problems when you call for a spice like nutmeg or allspice or cinnamon. You don't differentiate as to your measurements if they are whole, ground, shaved, etc. Allspice can be bought whole, they can be cracked, or they can be ground. Nutmeg can come ground or you can shave it with a grater. You get my point. Thanks for your hard work with your blog and recipes. Best regards, Rick
Mike Hultquist says
Heard, Rick. I'll be more clear on those ingredients moving forward. I appreciate it.
Jon T says
Mike can you inject the marinade and also baste while cooking.
How about pork chops and country ribs (pork butt) tia
Mike Hultquist says
You sure can, Jon. Let me know how it goes. You can use this marinade on pork and other foods as well. Works great!
Kristine S says
Thanks for getting back to me on this Mike. I will keep trying as the sauce is so tasty.
Mike Hultquist says
Happy to help, Kristine.
Kristine S says
The marinade is so delicious, but maybe you can help me here as I am not to familiar with marinating. I marinated the chicken for 24 hours, but the chicken itself did not seem to pick up the flavor so much, even though I made little cuts into the chicken beforehand. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
I'm not sure why, Kristine, as that is plenty of time for flavor. Strange. Perhaps an adjustment of some of the marinade ingredients. I would add more oil next time
Coby Fisher says
I always put the marinade under the skin to ensure it penetrate through the actual meat. The skin will burn along with the marinade. Use your fingers to open the pocket under the skin and spoon the marinade under the surface.
Mike Hultquist says
When you poke holes per the recipe, that gets done already, but sounds great, Colby. Thanks for sharing.