Jamaican Jerked Chicken
Learn to jerk just like a Jamaican.
Where does jerk come from?
Jamaican jerk is truly a Jamaican recipe. The history of it is said to come from the Arawak Indians who once inhabited the island. The Maroons used a similar technique when they were hiding in the mountains and this eventually evolved into what we now know as “Jerk”.
Ingredients:
- One 3 1/2 lb chicken (3lb of chicken breasts may be used if preferred)
- 6 sliced scotch bonnet peppers (jalapenos may be used if scotch bonnet peppers are unavailable)
- 2 Tbsp. thyme
- 2 Tbsp. ground allspice
- 8 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 Medium onions, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 Tbsp. salt
- 2 Tsp. ground black pepper
1 to 2 Tsp of the following (to taste)
- -ground cinnamon
- -nutmeg
- -ginger
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- Juice of one lime
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup white vinegar
Getting it done:
- 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.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, turn the meat then bake for a further 30 minutes. or 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 while chopping and (you will be chopping with enough pressure to cut through bone!!!) *Be careful when chopping so as not to injure yourself.
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