Juicy, Fall off the Bone, Charred Crispy Jerk Chicken with that addictive taste and just the right Hit of Heat, that you can control. Make it as Mild, Medium, Spicy or Hot as desired. The Jerk Marinade is made up in a Jar in about 5 minutes. With a Homemade Jerk Sauce that brings it all together. Just Marinate, Slow Cook while covered, before raising the heat to Brown & Crisp with nice Charring. Set it aside to rest while you make the Jerk Chicken Sauce.

You can make this recipe at home using your oven for Jamaican Jerk Chicken, inspired by the authentic style. However, for a truly authentic taste, smoking it with Pimento Wood is essential. In this version, you can control how much of a kick you want, keep in mind it suppose to be spicy. But even if you keep it on the side of having very little heat, the flavors still come through for a wonderful Jerk Chicken Platter.

What is Jerk Chicken

Jerk, a traditional Jamaican style of barbecuing meats, involves seasoning or marinating the meat before smoking it with Pimento Wood and grilling it. The Smoking adds a smokey flavor, Color and Aroma. It is this process that refers to Jerking. It was a means of preserving meats for a longer time.

The Jamaican patios word “Jook” means to “prod, pierce, stick or to poke”. So “Jook Chicken” could include or refer to Poking holes in the Chicken or Jerking. Whether or not that is the case, poking a bunch of holes in the Meat does allow for better penetration of the marinade and therefore better flavors throughout the meat as it cooks.

Historical Jerk Seasoning

Historically Jerk Seasoning was made of Bird’s Eye Chilies, Pimento (Allspice Berries), and Pepper Elder. This later evolved into the modern Jerk Seasoning today made of Scotch Bonnet Peppers, Scallions, Pimento, Thyme, Nutmeg, Black Pepper and other ingredients that may vary.

Jerk Chicken Flavor Profile

Jamaican Jerk Chicken is a very Spicy dish. With a Smokey, Sweet & Savory Flavor and Fruity undertones. The heat and fruity undertones comes from the Scotch Bonnets as well as a bit of Sweetness. With most of the sweetness coming from Cane Sugar and Thyme. The Savory Flavors come from the Scallions, and Spices dominant in Allspice & Nutmeg and smoke flavor from the Pimento Leaves and Charcoal, sometimes with Bay Leaves.

Jerk Chicken Ingredients

Walkerswoods is the standard to which all other Jerk Chickens are measured against. Taking a look at their ingredients for Jerk Chicken we see that all the ingredients are native to Jamaica and listed as;

Scallions, Scotch Bonnet Peppers, Salt, Black Pepper, Allspice, Nutmeg, Citric Acid, Cane Sugar, Thyme.

For Homemade Jerk Chicken, where we will not be smoking with Pimento Wood and Grilling the Jerk Chicken ingredients are;

Green Onions, Soy Sauce, Oil, Lemon Juice, Scotch Bonnet Peppers, Black Pepper, Allspice, Nutmeg, Sugar, Thyme, Bay Leaves.

Green Onions

Use a good amount of Green Onions to derive those Jerk flavors. About 1 bunch (12 stalks) or 89g or more of chopped Green Onions. The label Green Onions and Scallions are interchangable and refer to the same plant.

Soy Sauce

This recipe utilizes Soy Sauce to achieve the same rich colors as smoked chicken. Because Soy Sauce is included, no extra salt is needed. However, if you feel it needs a touch more salt, you can add some to taste when serving.

Soy Sauce contributes the Salt as well as the coloring effect of the Chicken that is very much needed when cooking this dish without smoking. Otherwise, the Smoking is what colors the Chicken.

Oil

Use either a light tasting Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Coconut Oil or Neutral Oil. The use of Coconut Fat will create a thicker marinade but still works. While the marinade is initially thicker, it thins out as it is being slow cooked because the thickness is coming from a solid fat at room temp.

Lemon Juice

We opt for fresh lemon juice over the citric acid found in Walkerswood Jerk Marinade. Both ingredients bring a zesty tang to the chicken and serve as effective preservatives.

Scotch Bonnet Peppers

Scotch Peppers contribute those unique fruity characteristic flavors. The seeds contain most of the heat, while the flesh contains those fruity undertones. The seeds can be omitted or only a few included to lessen the heat. About 12 g is used for this recipe.

Careful when handling, since Caspsaican Oil is very hard to get off your fingers. Even after washing with soap and water, it will cause burning if you touch sensitive areas like your eyes or mouth. Capsaican is Alkaline so anything Acidic can neutralize it.

Black Pepper

Black Pepper is another heat source used to bring the level of heat to a base level. Without the Scotch Bonnet Peppers and only the use of Black Pepper, you would only have a noticeable heat but nothing of any significance. The Scotch Bonnet Peppers added, is what raises the heat and contributes those unqiue Fruity tones.

Allspice

Allspice is a warming spice that taste like a blend of Cinnamon, Clove & Nutmeg, which is why it’s called Allspice. This along with Nutmeg is the main flavoring of Jerk Chicken and what makes it so addicitive.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg is a warming spice that has a flavor profile of slightly nutty and earthy flavor, with a hint of sweetness.

Usually Nutmeg used in large amounts is too overpowering. But somehow here, whether it is the use of it combined with Green Onions, Thyme or Allspice that reduces the bitterness and allows the other nutty and slightly sweet flavors to come out even more so. It really compliments something else.

Cane Sugar

Can Sugar adds the Sweetness and also the Carmelization factor or Charring when cooking the Chicken. You can use Brown Sugar or Jaggery to substitute. Too much Sugar here will blacken the Meat. You just want a small amount to add sweetness and help with charring.

Thyme

Fresh Thyme will offer up better flavors, adding a Sweet & slightly Peppery Flavor and wonderful aroma. I usually always have ground Thyme and so use this, and a lot of it to really drive those Thyme notes.

Bay Leaves

This recipe makes use of Ground Bay Leaves, which are sometimes included when smoking Jerk Chicken. It is a very nice addition for Jerk Chicken. Using Bay leaves in the Jerk marinade won’t have the same effect as using Ground Bay Leaves which will offer up a much stronger flavor.

Jerk Chicken Marinade

Place all the ingredients into a jar and blend with an immersion blender. Empty out into a marinating bowl. Add Chicken that has been pierced a bunch of times with a fork. Toss to coat well and let marinate overnight.

The marinade is also used to make the Jerk Sauce that is served over top. So reserve 1-2 Tbl of it before adding the Chicken to the Marinade.

Onion, Garlic & Ginger

Common additions are Onions, Garlic and Ginger. These can be added to the Jar to be pureed. You may have to add a bit more Oil so that you avoid getting a Paste like Marinade that would otherwise cook up thick on the chicken, which you don’t want.

Marinating Jerk Chicken

Use Quarter Chicken and clean out of the internal organs within the backbone for better tasting Chicken and trim the excess skin off. Check out my post on How to Prepare Chicken for more information.

Pierce the Chicken a bunch of times with a fork and place it into the marinating bowl. Coat well or place into a Ziploc bag with the Jerk Marinade. Refrigerate overnight. As an additional measure for extra flavor, tuck some of that marinade under the skin.

Oven Jerk Chicken

Jerk Chicken is slow cooked or smoked at first. This gives the Chicken time to dissolve the tendons and cartilage into gelatin that contributues overall to the juiciness of the chicken. The Chicken is then cooked at a higher heat to brown and crisp the skin with charring.

Cook the Jerk Chicken covered at 300 F for 1 hour. Then remove the cover and raise the heat to 400 F to brown and crisp up the Chicken. Flipping it over to brown and crisp all sides.

This higher heat is where the magic of the Soy Sauce really shines through. Referred to as a very old method of cooking called Red Cooking. This Red Cooking is applied here for at home oven Jerk Chicken, so that we can derive the same color as if they were smoked.

The objective is to slow cook first so that you get juicy tender fall off the bone Chicken. Then Brown & Crisp at a higher heat ensuring all of the chicken is crisp and charring.

Serving Jerk Chicken

You can serve the Chicken in whole quarter pieces or separate the Leg & Thigh. But I really do think the best eating experience is chopped with some of that Jerk Sauce drizzled over top, just the same in Jamaica. Be careful with small pieces of bones though.

I don’t know what it is, but I really like Chopped Jerk Chicken and the meat just falls off the bone. Maybe it’s the bone marrow, picking through it, or that Jerk Sauce with better coverage. Chopped Jerk Chicken is where it’s at.

Optionally you can hit the Chicken with the back of the butchers knife not to cut through or break the bone, but to break up the Chicken just a bit before drizzling over the Jerk Sauce.

Jerk Chicken Sauce

There are two main Sauces served in Jamaica with Jerk Chicken. These are Cal’s Ketchup & Grace Hot Pepper Sauce in case you want some extra Heat.

Homemade Jerk Sauce

This is the Amazing Homemade Jerk Sauce that just brings everything together! This is served over the Chicken or in a small dipping bowl to dip your Chicken into. Reserve some of the Jerk Marinade to add to this Vibrant Jerk Chicken Sauce.

Any leftover Jerk Sauce can be refrigerated to serve with other recipes. The Ginger taste gets stronger as it ages, not in a pungent way but a very nice and pleasing tone. Optionally you can remove the Ginger slices before refrigeration.

This is such an wonderful sauce that can be used in many other places. Use for Fries, Hash Browns, Chicken Nuggets, Hot Dogs, Sausages, Burgers and Chicken Burgers/Sandwiches.

Jerk Chicken can also be used for a Jamaican Christmas dinner with a Roasted Turkey.

Jamaican Rice & Peas

This dish is traditionaly served with Rice & Peas and some of that marinade can be used in the Rice too.