Hey, have you ever had Jamaican Jerk Chicken? Isn’t it one of the most amazing chicken dishes you know?
Update
Sorry you’ve been bombarded with this idea of Jerk Rice by Jamie Oliver. There’s just no such thing. Take it from us Jamaicans.
My mouth has been watering for some proper Jamaican Jerk Chicken since the last time I went to Jamaica two years ago. I mean the more I thought about it, the more I could smell it, hear them chopping it on the wooden chopping boards, and I could even hear the squishing and slurping of the ketchup, barbeque sauce or hot pepper sauce they would pile on while I waited. I just couldn’t taste it, and that’s what I wanted.
The more I thought about it, the more I drooled. And the more I drooled, the more I thought about buying myself some from one of these restaurants that proport to sell authentic Jamaican jerk chicken. Then I remembered two things: it was too expensive to buy for all the family, and also, the flavour was lost as they maybe made too little of the marinade for the amount of chicken they were cooking. But I wanted it.
And then it dawned on me! MAKE YOUR OWN! Sure I know how to make my own jerk marinade! And that’s exactly what I did and what I am going to share with you today.
By the way, I didn’t need to go out of the way to buy any unique ingredients as I had all of what I needed at home. Check my full recipe and you will see that you have what you need too! I decided to buy some chicken breast pieces (as some of my family members don’t like meat on the bones) and also a whole chicken with the skin removed. You know the whole deal about healthy eating and all that!
As the weather isn’t good enough yet, I did my jerk chicken in the oven and it turned out beautifully! If the weather was better I would use the Jamaican drum -style grill that I have in the back garden. I would also keep the skin on if I was to do it on the barbeque over the open flame. The skin would help to protect the meat from being burnt too much. Not only that, but I would get the amazing smoky flavour when the fat drips onto the flame- mmmm lovely!
One of the good things about making your own jerk marinade is that the basic ingredients and quantities I give you in the recipe will last you for a good couple months if stored in a clean jar in the refrigerator. You decide if you keep it for yourself to make more jerk chicken when you start to drool again, or whether you share the marinade with a neighbour or friend.
Here are some pics of the process. Click here for the full recipe.
You will need to start by gathering all the ingredients you need, As well as a little blender or food processor to make the job easy and prevent you from getting the hot peppers on your hands. You want to be really careful not to get it in your eyes.
The ingredients are then placed in a little blender and blitzed to create a somewhat chunky consistency.
I then cut the whole chicken into two and the breast pieces into bite-sized pieces.
There was enough marinade to use a full three tablespoons on the chicken and have enough left which I then bottled up in a labelled jar and refrigerated for later use.
I marinated the chicken in a glass bowl and covered it with cling film in the refrigerator where it sat overnight.
As I said, I cooked my chicken in the oven for about an hour. Check that the chicken is cooked by inserting a food probe into a thick section. It should be reading at least 75 degrees Celsius. If you don’t have a food probe, cook the chicken until any juice runs clear when it is cut open.
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You can do it!
So you know what? My chicken was absolutely amazing! Not only that, but my house now smells amazing! It reminds me so much of chilling back in Jamaica, where the Reggae beat is always within earshot, even if it’s with religious music. I can’t wait for summer to soak up some of the summer sunshine while I do my Jerk Chicken in my back garden.
I’m not saying I’m Mr Reggae Reggae sauce (Levi Roots) at all! Oh no, I’m Mrs Reggae Reggae Jamaican Jerk marinade. And mine is just as awesome.
I know that if you give this a go, you will have some friends who are shocked at your culinary skills and who will be begging you for some of your Jamaican Jerk Chicken or for some of the marinade so that they can make their own. Send them this link so they can make their own. To entice them, send them a pic with your own plate of homemade Jamaican Jerk Chicken. You can show off on my Facebook page too! Send your pics to Facebook.com/joleisa
Related products from Amazon (Affiliate links)
- Immersion blender
- Organic non-slip chopping board
- Grill pan with detachable handle
- Outdoor drum style Jamaican BBQ
- Jamaican flag
Man!!! I wish I could get some of that Jerked Chicken right now!!!!! OMG!!!
I love a good seasoning. My fiancé is of Jamaican heritage so I will have to give this a try and see what he thinks. Thank you for sharing!
That would be an amazing surprise for him I am sure! Wish I could be in on that surprise!
You’ve made my mouth water now too ! Love that you don’t need any extra ingredients too !
Glad you found it nice. Please do let us know how you found it.
I feel that I can almost taste it from here. Going to make chicken for tomorrow’s dinner.
Would love to see the results! Want to share to my facebook page? facebook.com/joleisa
Thank you for this! I love jamaican food and definitely will try this one out!
Now that sure looks like it will taste amazing. This sure will have me asking for seconds. Think I am going to try this out as well 🙂
yummy! i never tasty jamaican food! i’ll cook this!
As a Jamaican and life long lover of jerked foods, I say congrats. Please come back to Jamaica soon. On a personal note, I am also a twin (unidentical) and spent my early years in England.
Wow, what a coincidence! Sending you good wishes for a lovely day. Thanks for stopping by too!
This looks so much more than delicious!!!!!!! Now I am on my way to market to buy some chicken so… thank you for the inspiration. I guess you know already what my friends are going to eat tonight 😀
Thank you so much for sharing!
I guess you found this right on time! I know it would have been amazing!
I love your post! Thanks for sharing this recipe, have definitely to try it out! My boyfriend will enjoy 🙂 <3
Very interesting. I should probably try it once.
I love Jamaican jerk chicken! My husband and I went to Jamaica for our honeymoon and we’ve been hooked ever since!
So I hope you are now making your own marinade? The chicken can easily be done in the oven if you haven’t got a bbq.
I love how you write about your food memories from Jamaica! It’s obvious that it’s a complete sensory experience. I think that’s the way all food should be 🙂
Oh my! This looks scrumptious! I’m always on a lookout for great new recipes to try. This looks amazing, I cannot wait to try it out! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks. I hope you get to try it out and start singing its praises yourself too.
This looks sooo good and I have never tried a recipe like this before! Thanks for sharing!
It really is a great recipe and using all natural ingredients. The taste is awesome too!
I love your wording! It made me want to cook with you! Well, maybe I’ll let you do the cooking and I’ll just stay for dinner!
Ha ha. I’m a good cook. But I’m sure you can do your own cuisine too! Thanks for stopping by.
I do love some good jerk chicken! I have attempted to make this maybe a handful of times before but it’s never like the jerk shops I frequent. I am defs going to try your recipe 🙂
I had jerk chicken while on a cruise last year and fell in love with it. I really want to make my own but I can’t see your recipe anywhere? How do I get it?!
It is in the post for making the marinade. Look again, Elizabeth.
Looks amazing…. Jamaican food is always on point.. Thanks for sharing the receipe definately trying it.
I’m sure you are going to love it. Thanks so much for stopping by.
This looks like an amazing recipe! I will definitely try it out and have pinned it to reference later. I love the pictures and you even created a video! I am so impressed and have enjoyed watching your blog bloom. Continued blessings are being sent your way and may your blogging adventure continue to be a prosperous one.
Oh Wendi thanks so much for keeping up with us. We enjoy the blogging experience because it gives us the opportunity to share our money saving adventures with others.
Oh for the love of island food!!! Definitely trying this recipe, thanks!
This has grown to be one of my favorite flavors in the past year. Im excited to attempt to make it myself!
You’re going to absolutely love it!
I love myself some good jerk chicken. Cannot wait to try this recipe. Thanks
It would be great to hear just how much you enjoyed it.
Yyyeeeaaahhhhhh….I was wondering where I heard or seen this particular name and then I remembered, it’s what I had for lunch, this year, on my graduation-day, at Faze Two restaurant, in Kampala. Thanks Joleisa, for reminding me. It’s a super-sweet dish!
Lucky you, you got the chance to try JErk chicken. I’m sure you had a blast!
Can’t wait to make this!! Love all of the info! Including how to portion a chicken. Fabulous!!
Thanks so much!
I bet this dish is delicious! Thank you for taking the time to break down the steps to take in order to create a delicious Jamaican jerk marinade at home.
That marinade sounds amazing! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe 😊
Oh my goodness, Joleisa! Now I want Jerk chicken – and definitely not the Jamie Oliver kind!
This recipe looks awesome and doable. Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
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