Ultimate jerk chicken recipe
‘Jerking’ is all about maximising flavour. The great thing about jerk cooking is that you can use either a dry rub or a wet marinade, which means that you can use the wonderful flavours in such a variety of dishes, from meat or fish, to vegetables or grains. Traditionally, the mix will include allspice and Scotch bonnet chillies, but the spices can be adapted to taste.
Tip: you can use four chicken breasts with the skin on and cook on the barbecue for 15–20 minutes.
Ingredients
For the jerk marinade- 1 pinch sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 120 ml dark soy sauce
- 120 ml white wine vinegar
- 15 g fresh thyme leaves
- 0.5 tsp ground allspice
- 1 x 3cm/1in piece of fresh turmeric root, peeled and roughly chopped (or use 1tbsp ground turmeric)
- 50 g fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 small Scotch bonnet chillies, halved and de-seeded
- 225 g onions, peeled and quartered
- 4 portions of mixed salad or coleslaw, to serve
- 1.5 kg chicken: backbone removed and spatchcocked (ask your butcher to do this)
Details
- Cuisine: Caribbean
- Recipe Type: Chicken
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 50 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- First, make the marinade. Place all the ingredients, except the seasoning, into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Season with a little salt and a generous grinding of black pepper.
- Cut slashes into the smooth side of the spatchcocked chicken so that the marinade can penetrate the flesh and place the chicken in a shallow dish. Pour over the marinade and rub well into the meat.
- Cover and chill for at least 2–3 hours, or preferably overnight, turning every now and then.
- Preheat a barbecue with a lid and take the chicken out of the fridge to come up to room temperature.
- Cook the chicken on the hot barbecue with the lid down for 40–50 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with any leftover marinade, until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a thin metal skewer.
- Remove the chicken from the heat and rest for a few minutes, then serve with a simple mixed salad or a traditional crunchy coleslaw.
This recipe is from Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen by Ainsley Harriott (Ebury Press, £20). Photography by Dan Jones.
You might also like:
Spatchcocked chicken with green beans
Jerk-inspired haddock and jollof rice
Hot and fruity Caribbean coleslaw