The best Jerk Chicken I have ever tasted was 20 years ago in Negril, Jamaica. We were staying at a resort that offered it ALL DAY LONG, fresh off the grill. We were so obsessed with the flavor of this chicken we opted to have it more often than the regular menu offered at our resort. A kindly older gentleman who ran this small operation (conveniently located between the beach and the pool) was quite personable and more than happy to share the ingredients with us. We were excited to try it when we got home and our efforts did not disappoint. There are many Jerk Chicken recipes out there and the variations are endless. I believe this is just evidence of how truly forgiving this dish is. In other words, it is quite difficult to screw it up. It is true, there's no place better than a Caribbean beach to eat Jerk Chicken, but at least there is still Jerk Chicken wherever you happen to be.

Tips and tricks to making Jerk Chicken

• Whenever possible, the grill is the best place to cook it because it can be a bit messy as it cooks. However, if you are going to be cooking it in the oven, you will want to broil it that last few minutes or so to get that crispiness (keeping a close watch to avoid over cooking.
• Drums, thighs or chicken wings are a really great option but boneless skinless thighs work great too and make a great Shish-kebab. 
• Scotch peppers are most common in Caribbean food but habanero peppers work great.  You can omit the pepper all together or substitute a more mild pepper to suit your tastebuds. I usually use habanero but they are hot and one is usually more than enough. 
• PRO TIP- Use food safe disposable rubber gloves when chopping hot peppers of any kind. I am sensitive to any seeds or pepper on my hands and fingers and have a hard time washing it off after handling. It also prevents coming in contact with your eyes if you rub them without thinking about it.

• BONUS TIP- If you will be using the baking method, when you get to the broiling part, don't use the highest rack option. From personal experience, I have found better results lower the rack sometimes 2 or even 3 notches to get a more even browning and to avoid grease fires. It took me far longer to figure this out than I care to admit. 

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Ingredients

• 2.5 pounds of drums or thighs or a combination (approx 8 pieces)
• 1 small yellow onion
• 3 or 4 scallions roughly chopped (for food processor)
• 1 or 2 habanero or scotch peppers with seeds removed
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 lime juiced or approx 2 tablespoons in bottle
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil or Avocado oil

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until ingredients are finely chopped (almost smooth in texture) and marinade is thick. 

• Pierce chicken with a paring knife or meat fork 4 or 5 times with each piece and add to a dish that can be covered. This not only helps the meat to absorb the flavor, but it also helps to tenderize the chicken in the most delectable way. 
• Pour marinade over chicken covering each piece well and refrigerate at least 2 hours or longer. 

A large ziplock bag will also work and makes it easier to recover the chicken with marinade if it settles to the bottom during any time of the marinating process. 

• When ready to grill, remove chicken from fridge and preheat grill (medium) or oven (350).  

• Grill method: Place chicken, skin side down and cook for approx 25 to 35 minutes turning regularly to evenly cook. Internal temp should be 165 degrees F
• Oven method: Bake chicken on cooking sheet for approx 45 minutes to 60 minutes. When chicken has reached 165 degrees internally or is very close, turn oven to broil and leave in long enough to get the top crispy.  It is important to stay close and watch carefully.

Remove from heat and let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving. 

Garnish with lime slices and/or scallions

Side serving suggestions. This dish could work with any dish that a typical American Barbecue would work with like, corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, potato salad, baked beans, pasta salad or other similar fare. You could add your own favorite salad and it would probably work fine. 

Sweet Potato Chips work extremely well with Jerk Chicken. We just invented our own version and they are yummy. 

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Chips

This is truly my favorite way to have sweet potatoes.

Ingredients

3 medium to large sized sweet potatoes.

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Teaspoon(more or less to taste) sea salt or table salt 

Instructions

Peel sweet potatoes and slice thinly with a paring knife.  They don't need to be as though you did them on a slicer.  

Add to medium sized bowl with oil and salt and stir until everything is coated.

Bake at in a single layer (using two baking sheets if necessary) at 375 for approx 15 minutes or until slightly browned. 

There's a sweet spot just before they start to get too brown so it is best to watch closely.  It isn't necessary to get them really brown as long as they are cooked throughout because they will crisp up as they cool.