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Jamaican · Caribbean

Jamaican jerk chicken

Non-vegetarian

Chicken marinated overnight in a fiery paste of scotch bonnet, allspice, thyme and spring onion, then grilled low and slow until charred and smoky. Jamaica's most famous dish.

Jamaican jerk chicken is a Jamaican grilled dish, ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on, fresh red chilli and allspice. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Tantalizing Caribbean jerk chicken served with rice and beans and fried plantains on a square plate.
Photo: Snappr / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
50 min
Rest
10 min
Total
1 h 20 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
503

Plus at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, marinating.

Ingredients

6 servings

For the jerk marinade

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Blend all the marinade ingredients to a coarse paste.

    Food safety: Wear gloves when handling scotch bonnets and keep your hands away from your eyes.

  2. Step 2

    Rub the paste deep into the slashes in the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

    • 10 min

    Food safety: Marinate raw chicken in the fridge.

  3. Step 3

    Set up a grill for indirect heat (coals to one side). Sear the chicken over the hot side until marked, then move to the cooler side, cover and cook, turning occasionally, until cooked through and well charred.

    Food safety: Chicken must reach 74 °C at the bone.

    Adding soaked pimento wood or a few whole allspice berries to the coals gives an authentic smoky aroma.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Rest for 10 minutes, then chop into pieces and serve.

    • 10 min

About this dish

Origin
Jamaica · Well documentedJerk seasoning and cooking are long associated with Jamaica.Also popular in United Kingdom, United States, CanadaMore food from Jamaica
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Grills & kebabs · Main courses
Cooking method
Marinated / cured, Grilled, Smoked
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), smoky, aromatic / warmly spiced, herby
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Fresh red chilli · Allspice · Spring onion · Garlic · Fresh ginger
Techniques
Grilling · Searing · Smoking · Charcoal grilling · Marinating

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom soy sauce
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom soy sauce
  • Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

503 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 251 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 31%
  • Carbohydrate 6%
  • Fat 63%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy503 kcal201 kcal
Protein38.4 g15.3 g
Carbohydrate7.7 g3.1 g
Net carbohydrate6.5 g2.6 g
Sugars3 g1.2 g
Added sugars2.2 g0.9 g
Fibre1.2 g0.5 g
Fat34.9 g13.9 g
Saturated fat9 g3.6 g
Trans fat0.2 g0.1 g
Cholesterol150 mg60 mg
Sodium1039 mg415 mg
Salt equivalent2.6 g1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
514 mg
Calcium
59 mg
Iron
2.5 mg
Magnesium
54 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
93 µg
Vitamin C
16 mg
Vitamin D
0.4 µg
Vitamin B12
0.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
25 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • No grill? Roast at 200 °C for 40–45 minutes, then finish under a hot grill to char.

Common mistakes

  • Grilling over fierce direct heat the whole time — the sugar and spices burn before the chicken cooks through.

Serve with

  • Serve with rice and peas, festival dumplings, fried plantain and a cold drink.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 3 days. The raw marinade keeps a week in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Reheat in a hot oven until piping hot.

Variations

  • Jerk pork: The other classic, made with pork shoulder cooked slowly over pimento wood.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 2

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

  • Wet masala

    Jamaican jerk paste (wet jerk)

    This recipe makes it as part of the method (303 g for 6 servings). The full masala recipe explains each step in detail.

    Make Jamaican jerk paste (wet jerk)

Reviews & corrections

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