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jerk chicken
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5 from 3 votes

Grilled Jerk Chicken

Authentic Jerk Chicken that you can make at home.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time3 hours
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 589kcal

Ingredients

Spices

  • ½ cinnamon stick
  • ½ nutmeg whole
  • 1 teaspoon peppercorns whole
  • 1 teaspoon cloves whole
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom pods
  • 1 teaspoon allspice whole
  • 5 Arbol chilis dried

Herbs & Vegetables

  • 1 inch ginger peeled
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 handful thyme
  • 2 serrano peppers (optional)
  • 3 scallions

Marinade

  • ¾ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup teriyaki sauce
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 to 4 lbs chicken pieces

Instructions

  • Spices: Toast all the spices, including the Arbol chilis, in a hot skillet, until aromatic.
  • When cool enough to handle, break the cinnamon stick into a few pieces and add to the coffee grinder. Add the remaining contents of the skillet, except for the nutmeg.
  • Pulse the contents of the mill until the ingredients are ground finely.
  • If you find some larger pieces remaining, sift the contents of the grinder. Grate the nutmeg into the spice mix.
  • Chop the vegetables, and add to a food processor. Pulse a few times, add the remaining marinade ingredients and spices. Pulse until everything is finely chopped.
  • Place chicken pieces in a large ziplock bag. Pour the marinade over them. Seal the bag, and make sure the marinade is evenly distributed between the chicken pieces. Refrigerate for a minimum of two hours or overnight.
  • Grill chicken over medium heat. Rotate the chicken as needed, until it's cooked all the way through. Make sure you allow the chicken to char, because it's not jerk chicken unless it's charred!

Notes

  • Jerk chicken is supposed to be spicy. If you can't tolerate spicy or highly seasoned food, you might want to skip this recipe.
  • Another option is to leave out the ingredients that make this a hot recipe. The ingredients to leave out would be the arbor chilis and Serrano peppers.
  • If you need to cook this recipe in the oven, place the chicken on a foil-covered pan and cook in a 375 Degree F oven for approximately an hour. Broil at the end to get some charring on the chicken.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 589kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 70g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 182mg | Sodium: 3133mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g