Recipe: Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Although I’m no stranger to Caribbean cooking, jerk seasoning is one I’ve always shied away from. I’ve seen it done extremely well and extremely poorly, and the difference was not something I could quite put my finger on. The sweet/spicy nature of a good jerk seasoning always struck me as a delicate balance, and one that has to be well-supported by other flavors, without overpowering.
 
Somehow, I managed to get incredibly lucky over the last couple years. Not only did I find me a fancy fella who thinks I’m the bee’s knees, but this delightful man ALSO COOKS. (How lucky am I? Seriously!) Maybe it’s my feelings talking over my taste buds, but the best jerk chicken I've ever tasted—spicy, smoky, tangy, sweet, and deliciously aromatic—is his recipe. He was kind enough to share it with me, and now, dear readers, I shall share it with you.
 
Notes before you get started:
 
For maximum flavor, let the chicken marinate overnight.
 
If you’d rather avoid mincing everything (I don’t blame you), just use your food processor.

Grilled pineapple pairs astonishingly well with this. I like to reserve some of the sauce and marinate the pineapple too.

For vegans, this marinade works great on literally any meat substitute, including jackfruit.
 
For pescatarians, by all means, use this recipe on any mild-flavored fish or shrimp.
 

Photo poached from cookdiary.net. Recipe credit goes to my lovely (life? Fingers crossed) partner.
 
Jamaican jerk chicken

Ingredients: MEAT

• 2-3 lbs of chicken breast, drumsticks, or thighs. (Thighs are my personal fave, but any grill-able cut will work just fine.)

 
Ingredients: MARINADE
 

• 1 tbsp allspice
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 ½ tsp sage
• ¾ tsp nutmeg
• ¾ tsp cinnamon
• ¾ tsp minced ginger, or more to your taste
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp of brown sugar, molasses, or dark honey, such as buckwheat
• ¼ cup of soy sauce (if gluten-free, sub in GF soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos)
• ¼ cup of your most devilish rum (or more, as you like)
• ¾ cup of white, red wine, or apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup of orange juice, or juice of 2 fresh oranges
• Juice of 1 lime, plus extra limes for garnish
• 1-2 habanero peppers, depending on your spice tolerance
• 3 green onions
• 1 medium white onion
• Salt to taste

 
The Nitty Gritty
 

1. Mix your marinade.
2. Marinate your chicken, pineapple, jackfruit, shrimp, all-of-the-above overnight. If marinating multiple things, be sure to do so separately. The longer it marinates, the better.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat.
4. Brush grill grate with oil and cook chicken to desired doneness. Note that it will be partially acid-cooked, so be careful not to overdo it.

Garnish chicken with a few limes, and maybe some green onion, cilantro, sage, or other fresh herbs, as you like. Serve alongside grilled (or jerked and grilled) pineapple, or with rice and beans, or with sweet plantains, or with an avocado salad, or grilled veggies, or even chips… There’s almost nothing that would pair badly with this. If you like rum drinks, a dark and stormy with your leftover rum would not go amiss.
 
Yes, you can bet this meal will feature at our 4th of July cookout, as well as my locally renowned grilled pork ribs. Hope you like it as much as I do!