Jerk chicken

Votes: 3

Photo of the dish: Cheryl Smith

Time: 40 minutes plus marinating time
Complexity: easily
Servings: 4

Jerk chicken is a traditional Caribbean dish originating in Jamaica. The meat is marinated in a spicy jerk sauce and then grilled over coals until charred. It's this savory crust that makes the dish so prized. This method was first used by runaway slaves who hid in the dense forests of Jamaica, eating game rubbed with locally grown Caribbean peppers and roasted over the embers of a campfire.

Jerk chicken is typically served with boiled rice and a vegetable salad. However, the spicy, crispy pieces of meat can also be enjoyed on their own as a beer snack.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

4 chicken halves (2.5 – 3 kg)
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup dark rum
3 tbsp. l. brown sugar
1 bunch green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Caribbean red pepper, seeded, stemmed and finely chopped
2 tbsp Pickapeppa sauce*
1 tbsp grated peeled ginger
1 tbsp. ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Recipes with similar ingredients: chicken, chili pepper, pumpkin pie spice, ginger root, allspice, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, rum

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

In a food processor, combine vinegar, rum, brown sugar, green onions, garlic, chili, Pikappeppa sauce, ginger, allspice and pumpkin pie spicesHeat the oil in a medium skillet and cook the sauce over medium heat, stirring, for 3 minutes, until the oil is absorbed and the sauce thickens slightly. Cool.
Coat the chicken halves with jerk sauce on all sides, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.

Light an outdoor grill for direct and indirect heat. Place a drip pan under the grill grate on the cool side. Place the chicken skin-side down over direct high heat and grill until crisp and well-marked, about 4 minutes per side.
Then move the chicken to the cool side of the roasting pan and roast skin-side up for 35 to 40 minutes over indirect heat, covered. Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the meat; the temperature should read 165°F (74°C). Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

Recipe Jerk Chicken, cut into a butterfly.

Note *

Pikapeppa, the famous bottled Jamaican sauce, is a blend of tomatoes, onions, sugar, cane vinegar, mango, raisins, tamarind, pepper, and spices. Fans of this "Jamaican ketchup" use it on all fried foods. The sauce also adds a touch of flavor to the spicy Jamaican marinade..