How to Make Jamaican Jerk Chicken – Caribbean Recipe

There are a lot of meals on the planet that you simply instinctively hyperlink with sure cultures or areas – Italy has pasta, France has baguettes, England has fish and chips.

Image: The Jerk Shack at Sandals Dunn’s River gives traditional Jamaican dishes with a view.

While you consider Jamaica, jerk might be the primary meals to come to thoughts. It’d even come to thoughts earlier than the white sandy seashores or all-inclusive resorts.

On this article on the Sandals Weblog:

Distinctive taste with a spicy-sweet tang

Jamaican-Style Jerk Chicken Recipe

•Step 1: Dry Rub & Sauce Recipe
•Step 2: Jerk Marinade Recipe
•Step 3: Prepare your protein
•Step 4: Bake & Grill

Jerk Chicken Alternatives

Distinctive style with a spicy-candy tang

While you style Jerk, whether or not hen or pork (even seafood), you will style ginger, Scotch Bonnet peppers, thyme, and allspice suddenly, culminating in that advanced and scrumptious taste.

The historical past of jerk can be fascinating, with the pit-barbecue technique usually used for jerk in addition to the seasoning itself coming from Africa together with slaves introduced by the Spanish and British to Jamaica and different areas of the Caribbean.

Chicken is particularly good for jerk. Chicken could be a clean canvas, and jerk is unquestionably distinctive sufficient to rework it into one thing thrilling.

Jamaican-Fashion Jerk Chicken Recipe

Chicken is straightforward to discover virtually in all places, making this a straightforward dish to put together. Ultimately, it appears quite a bit more durable than it really is, and you will come off as a powerful chef to anybody unfamiliar with jerk cooking.

By following among the key steps like making a terrific marinade, taking the time to let the flavors develop, and cooking it to perfection, you’ll be in your means to a flexible, scrumptious, and simple jerk hen expertise very quickly.

Step 1: Jerk Dry Rub & Hellfire Sauce Recipe

The Jerk Shack

Picture credit score: Nalidsa/Shutterstock.com

Substances
2 tablespoons floor allspice
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ginger powder

Methodology
Combine all substances collectively and rub properly into protein prior to marinating

Hellfire Sauce

Substances
5 entire Scotch Bonnet peppers
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon ready mustard
1 teaspoon contemporary chopped ginger
1 massive onion, chopped
2 stalks scallion
1 clove contemporary garlic
½ teaspoon allspice
1 sprig contemporary thyme, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups water
Salt to style

Methodology
Place all substances besides oil and water in a blender and mix to a clean consistency, including the vegetable oil and water as wanted to modify the consistency. For greatest outcomes, put aside for 1-2 hours earlier than use to permit the flavors to meld.

Professional tip: When coping with dried spices, make the spice combination in bulk – this can prevent work this time once you go to grill the hen and sooner or later once you make it once more.

Step 2: Jerk Marinade Recipe

The Jerk Shack

Picture credit score: yackers1/Shutterstock.com

Serves 4; Makes 1 ¼ Cups

Substances
1 tablespoon stemmed & finely chopped Scotch Bonnet pepper (about 1 pepper)
2 tablespoons stemmed contemporary thyme
1 tablespoon freshly floor allspice (not too advantageous)
2 tablespoons chopped contemporary ginger
¾ cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 ½ cups finely chopped scallions (utilizing the white and the inexperienced elements)
½ teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
¼ cup soy sauce
¾ cup vegetable oil

Methodology
Place all substances in meals processor besides soy sauce and oil.
After finely minced or pureed, place in mixing bowl and add soy sauce and oil.
Retailer in glass jar or clay pot.

Step 3: Put together your protein

You should purchase entire chickens and butcher them, have your meat counter do it, or purchase a complete hen already lower up. Both put it in a resealable bag or a shallow pan, and pour half the marinade over. Therapeutic massage it in, so that each piece is roofed, then repeat with the remaining marinade. Put it within the fridge, both sealed or coated, let it sit in a single day.

Methodology for Seafood (fish, lobster, shrimp)
Place the fish or seafood within the marinade for one hour solely. Don’t over marinate or it can break down the fibers within the fish and seafood, leading to a mushy consistency when cooked.
Take away from the marinade and grill at a excessive temperature till cooked by means of.

Step 4: Bake & Grill

Picture credit score: DavidVy/Shutterstock.com

While you’re prepared to cook dinner, pull the hen out and preheat the oven to 350 levels Fahrenheit. You need to begin the cooking course of, not roast it – that’s what the grill is for.

Put your hen within the pan. Make certain to select a pan that’s massive sufficient that no hen overlaps, which might end in underdone or steamed elements.

Bake hen for half-hour, and get your grill prepared, ensuring it’s scorching so you will get a very good sear on the hen. Take hen out of the oven and sprinkle somewhat extra of the spice combination you made on it, and brush it with olive oil – this helps maintain it from sticking and provides a pleasant sheen.

Chef’s Observe: A substantial amount of jerk’s taste comes from pimento wooden smoke. For probably the most genuine jerk taste with out pimento wooden, soak ¼ cup entire allspice berries in water for not less than 1 hour (ideally in a single day). Sprinkle over the coals or flames of the grill proper earlier than cooking, and make certain to shut the lid to lure the smoky taste.

Grill for five to 10 minutes, checking to make sure that it’s not burning, then flip and repeat. The bottom line is to squeeze some lime juice on the hen, cowl loosely with foil, and don’t contact it for not less than 10 minutes.

You then simply let it cool off and dig in!

Jerk hen is nice by itself as a primary course, however there’s extra you are able to do

You may shred it and put in on prime of baked candy potatoes with salsa and avocados for a candy and tangy primary dish, or make sandwiches or wraps.

A artistic means to use it’s to take pizza crusts or naan, use somewhat jerk sauce (principally a thickened marinade) as a base, and prime with jerk hen, cheese, fajita veggies, after which bake it. Then add avocados to end it off.

There’s quite a bit you are able to do with jerk hen. It is not simply restricted to conventional dishes. If you happen to’re artistic together with your cooking, the chances are really infinite.

For extra Jamaican-inspired dishes additionally learn: 44 Irresistible Foods & Drinks You Must Try When In Jamaica.