Servings : Serves 4-5
Jerk is a Jamaican style of cooking where cuts of meat are marinated in a spicy blended mixture and then grilled over hot coals. The dish is usually served with rice and beans. I have used wings in this case, however the recipe works well with any cuts of chicken, preferably on the bone.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken, cut up into 8-10 pieces (1-1.5kg)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper powder
- 1 tsp. all-spice (garam masala)
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp. cloves powder
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- juice of 2 limes
- 2-3 scotch bonnet pepper (you can use more or less, depending on your heat-level intake)
- 2 scallions/green onions
- 1 small red onion
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup oil (olive or vegetable oil)
Instructions
Clean and dry off the chicken pieces. Make 2 deep slits in each chicken piece which will allow the seasoning to fully penetrate into the meat during marination. Then put the chicken into a bowl.
Put all the remaining ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Give it a taste and adjust salt/spice if need be.
Reserve a third of this marinade in a separate small bowl and then pour the remainder of the marinade over the chicken pieces and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Make sure to remove the chicken from the fridge at least half an hour before grilling.
Grill the chicken over a lightly oiled hot bbq grill until cooked through. Make sure to keep turning the pieces and basting them with the reserved marinade (that was not used for marinating the chicken).
Alternatively, you can cook the chicken in a preheated oven until cooked through (at around 180 C for about 20-25 minutes per side). Make sure to brush the chicken pieces with some of the marinade midway through cooking to keep them moist and juicy.
Once done with grilling the chicken, put any of the remaining marinade (including what was used to marinate the chicken pieces) into a small pan and add about half a cup of water. Cook it down over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. You can then serve this as a dip or sauce on the side.
Enjoy! 🙂
