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It’s time to dust off those grills, and get cooking! What’s a better recipe to cook on the grill than jerk chicken? We wanted to enjoy this spicy and spiced dish straight from the Caribbean.

To keep the heat in this recipe, we used Scotch bonnet peppers (though habaneros can be substituted instead), but we didn’t want to use too many. We wanted the recipe to be hot, but not scorching.To get the flavor deep into the chicken, we marinated it overnight and boiled the marinade after to baste the chicken with as we grilled. Keep reading below for this wonderful recipe…

Jerk Chicken

(makes 6-8 servings)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup malt vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons dark rum
  • 2 scotch bonnet peppers, one de-seeded, the other with seeds, both chopped
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 4 green onion tops, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 4 teaspoons allspice
  • 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
  • 4 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons molasses
  • 5lbs chicken wings
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Put vinegar, rum, hot peppers, onion, green onion tops, thyme olive oil, salt, pepper, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, and molasses in a blender or food processor. Pulse until mostly smooth.
  2. Place the chicken in a large freezer bag or roasting pan or baking dish. Pour the lime juice over the chicken and coat well. Add the jerk paste to the chicken pieces and coat well. Seal the bag or cover the pan with the chicken with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
  3. When ready to cook the chicken, remove the chicken from the bag or pan. Put the remaining marinade in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to use as a basting sauce for the chicken.
  4. Preheat the grill to medium high. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on the grill and cover. Cook for 12-15 minutes, basting occasionally with the cooked marinade. When done, the chicken should be completely cooked.
  5. Transfer the chicken to a platter, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Serve hot with beans and rice.
  6. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted fromSimply Recipes

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