Recipe courtesy of Aunt I's Jamaican Restaurant
and
Winston Grant
Jamaican Jerk Chicken
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
- Total: 12 hr 50 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Inactive: 12 hr
- Cook: 40 min
Ingredients
7 to 8 whole allspice
3 tablespoons seasoning salt, such as Lawry's
1 to 2 Scotch Bonnet peppers, quartered
1 bundle green onions, cut into 1-inch sections
1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves coarsely chopped
1 whole chicken, cleaned and quartered
Directions
- Smash the allspice as fine as possible using a mortar and pestle. Put in a food processor and add the seasoning salt, peppers, green onions, thyme and 1/2 cup water. Blend to the consistency of lumpy oatmeal and pour into a bowl.
- Rub the chicken with the jerk seasoning and stuff the jerk seasoning between the skin and the meat. Place the chicken pieces into a storage pan and let marinade overnight (at least 12 hours).
- Remove the excess seasoning from the chicken. Heat the grill to high heat (about 350 degrees F) and then place the chicken meat-side down first as to not let the chicken burn too quickly. Flip the chicken every 5 to 7 minutes until the skin has a nice brown color with grill marks, and then every 7 to 10 minutes on lower heat until cooked, around 40 minutes total or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
- Chop each quarter into 4 to 5 pieces to get the real Jamaican jerk experience.