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.

Stay in the Loop
Keep up with all the recipes by subscribing to Product of Jamaica Magazine so you can get more content.
- YouTube
- Email Me