Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe » Authentic Marinade + Grill Tips

This authentic Jamaican Jerk chicken recipe is marinated in a delicious blend of spices and grilled to perfection for the perfect weeknight meal!

The term jerk comes from the Spanish word charqui which means dried pieces of meat, just like when you hear “jerky.” It later adapted to “jerking” a protein meaning to poke holes in the meat so that the spices will infuse into it with ease. In the Caribbean jerking, anything means to turn it in the marinade and then cooking it over the open fire.

So, you may be asking, “What makes jerk chicken jerk?” Jerk plainly put refers to a style of cooking in which protein or vegetables are marinated in spices and cooked over a grill traditionally composed of green pimento wood.

Ingredients for this recipe:

• 1 peeled sweet onion
• 3 green onions
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper or 1 habanero pepper or 2 jalapeños
• 6 garlic cloves
• 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 teaspoon peeled fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• ½ cup palm or olive oil
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• 3 pounds of mixed chicken things and drums or breasts

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Marinate Time: 4 hours

Procedures:

1. Add all of the ingredients but the chicken to a blender and blend on high speed until slightly chunky resembling apple sauce.
2. Transfer the mixture to a plastic zip bag, casserole dish, or plastic container and completely submerge the chicken.
3. Cover and keep in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
4. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, 400° to 450°.
5. Take the chicken out of the marinade and cook on the grill for about 25 minutes turning the chicken every 8 minutes or so to develop a light char. The chicken should reach 165° internal before removing it from the grill.
6. Garnish with green onions and lime wedges and serve.

Chef Notes:

Make-Ahead: This recipe is best eaten as soon as it is cooked.

How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This will freeze, cooked first, covered for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

How to Reheat: Place on a cooking sheet tray lined with parchment and bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until hot. Likewise, you can heat up in the microwave on a microwave-safe plate until hot.

You can also use this same marinade and method with steak, fish, pork, or vegetables.

The longer you can marinate up to 24 hours the more flavorful it will be.

Do not be alarmed if your chicken is lightly charring, it is supposed to happen when grilling jerk chicken.

I usually like to close the door on the grill after the first flip of the chicken to help roast it better.