Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

This is a recipe that I found on BigOven a while ago (apparently 1 year, 39 weeks, and 6 days ago....according to their stats). Even though it's not completely authentic, I like that it is more of a marinade than just a rub. The original recipe is linked at the bottom of the post. The main thing I did different from the original recipe is that I used thighs (bone in) instead of breasts since most jerk chicken I've seen is bone in dark meat, like thighs and legs.


Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Ingredients
1 tb Ground allspice
1 tb Dried thyme
1 1/2 ts Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 ts Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 ts Ground sage
3/4 ts Ground nutmeg
3/4 ts Ground cinnamon
2 tb Salt
2 tb Garlic powder
1 tb Sugar
1/4 c Olive oil
1/4 c Soy sauce
3/4 c White vinegar
1/2 c Orange juice
Juice of 1 lime
1 Scotch bonnet pepper, Seeded and finely chopped (I used a habanero pepper instead)
1 c Chopped white onion
3 Green onions, finely chopped
4 Chicken breasts (I used 8 bone in thighs instead)



Yes, I forgot the onion, soy, and habanero in the picture....just pretend this is a yearbook class shot and they are in the "not pictured" row.

Be very careful handling the habanero pepper, these beyotches are one mean customer. Use gloves when chopping and de-seeding them. Believe me.

Mix all the first 10 ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, orange juice, and lime juice. Add the pepper, onion, and green onions and mix well. Put the chicken in a casserole dish and pour the mixture over the chicken. Cover and marinade for at least one hour. I like going about 6 hours.The recipe calls for grilling them direct heat for 6 minutes a side. I did them on the Big Green Egg at 350f and used a raised grid so they were about 8 inches from the hot coals. Since I can't get authentic pimento wood locally, I went with some oak wood chips instead.

I did them 10 minutes on skin side down. Flipped bone side down and cooked another 10 minutes. I put them back skin side down for another 5 minutes or so until they were 175f internal temp. I served it up platter style with carribean rice and summer corn.

Ahhhh yeah, eating this makes everyting irie!

For printable version, click here:
Jamaican Jerk Chicken