Original Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipes

Steps:

• Place chicken in a medium bowl. Cover with lime juice and water. Set aside.
• In a blender or food processor, place allspice, nutmeg, salt, brown sugar, thyme, ginger, black pepper and vegetable oil. Blend well, then mix in onions, green onions, garlic and habanero peppers until almost smooth.
• Pour most of the blended marinade mixture into bowl with chicken, reserving a small amount to use as a basting sauce while cooking. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat.
• Brush grill grate with oil. Cook chicken slowly on the preheated grill. Turn frequently, basting often with remaining marinade mixture. Cook to desired doneness.

Steps:

• Whizz all the ingredients for the marinade in a blender to form a thick paste. It shouldn't be too runny, similar to the consistency of sweet chilli sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three weeks.
• Slit the chicken skin with a sharp knife, then put into a container. Pour over the jerk marinade, making sure the chicken is completely covered. You may not need all the marinade. Cover the chicken and place in the fridge for at least 4 hrs, but ideally 24 hrs.
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Put the chicken in an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and cook for 30-45 mins. Remove the foil and baste the chicken with the juices from the dish, then cook for a further 10 mins. The skin should start to crisp up. Check the meat is cooked by cutting into the deepest part of the chicken. If the juices run out red, return to the oven for 10 mins more, or until the juices run clear. Serve with rice & peas or any of your favourite side dishes.

Steps:

• At least 1 day before cooking, pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and grind to a coarse paste. Slather all over chicken, including under skin. Refrigerate 12 to 36 hours. Bring to room temperature before cooking and lightly sprinkle with more salt and ground allspice.
• Prepare a charcoal grill: Clean and oil grates, and preheat to medium heat using one chimney of charcoal. The temperature can start as high as 300 degrees and go as low as 250. For best results, coals should be at least 12 inches away from chicken. If necessary, push coals to one side of grill to create indirect heat. Add two large handfuls of soaked pimento (allspice) wood sticks and chips (see note) or other aromatic wood chips to coals, then close grill. When thick white smoke billows from grill, place chicken on grate, skin side up, and cover. Let cook undisturbed for 30 to 35 minutes.
• Uncover grill. Chicken will be golden and mahogany in places. Chicken thighs may already be cooked through. For other cuts, turn chicken over and add more wood chips, and charcoal if needed. Cover and continue cooking, checking and turning every 10 minutes. Jerk chicken is done when skin is burnished brown and chicken juices are completely clear, with no pink near the bone. For large pieces, this can take up to an hour. Serve hot or warm, with rice and beans.

Steps:

• Chop the onions, garlic and peppers. These do not need to be chopped too fine as they will be liquidised by the blender.
• Blend all of the ingredients (excluding the chicken) in a blender to make the jerk sauce.
• Cut the chicken up in to 4 pieces.
• Rub the sauce in to the meat, saving some for basting and dipping later.
• Leave the chicken in the fridge to marinade overnight.
• Grill the meat slowly until cooked, turning regularly. Baste with some of the remaining marinade whilst cooking. For best results, cook over a charcoal barbeque (ideally over a rack of pimento wood).
• Chop each quarter chicken portion in to 5 or 6 smaller pieces using a heavy cleaver.
• Use a wooden spoon (or something similar) to hold the chicken in place whilst chopping and NOT YOUR HAND (you will be chopping with enough pressure to cut through bone!).
• Serve with festival and salad or rice and peas or hardo bread and the jerk sauce leftover for dipping.