Jerk Chicken

The following marinade is meant for 3 lbs. of chicken. Chicken thighs are great. Buy bone-in chicken with skin. Serve with rice or potatoes.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Scotch Bonnet peppers are named for their shape. They are extremely hot but also have a fruity note. If you cannot find Scotch Bonne t peppers, use Grace Scotch Bonnet sauce. I use 1 Tbsp per pepper. Because I don’t want it too hot, I use 3 Tbsp. This ensures some heat but you can still taste the other flavours! If you use Scotch Bonnet peppers, be very careful when handling them—wear gloves and do not touch your eyes!

Step 2

Set aside ½ cup marinade to use when barbecuing.

Step 3

Place chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour marinade over it. You can freeze it at this time or put it in the fridge to use the next day (preferably) or later that day.

Step 4

Traditionally jerk chicken is cooked over bay leaves and pimento wood. Allspice berries come from pimento trees and are a lot easier to buy in Canada than pimento wood. and bay leaves. Allspice trees only grow in Jamaica so it is not readily available here. Instead I soak bay leaves and allspice berries in water before barbecuing, and then I lay the wet leaves and allspice berries right on the grill or in the water dish.

Step 5

Jerk chicken tastes best barbecued low and slow over charcoal. Set up the bbq for both direct and indirect (i.e. coals on one side, tin foil plate with water on the other). Aim for a temperature between 250 F and 300 F.

Step 6

Oil the grill.

Step 7

Add bay leaves and all spice berries to the top of the grill or to the water dish.

Step 8

Start the chicken on the direct side, skin down. Cook each side for 2-3 minutes to achieve nice grill marks.

Step 9

Add wet bay leaves to the indirect portion of the grill. Move the chicken to the indirect part of the grill and close the lid. Cook for another 30-50 minutes until chicken bones are loose (170 degrees internal temperature).