Our housemade jerk chicken is on sale this weekend, but I also wanted to share our process for making it; you may want to continue jerking meat all summer long! This marinade works great with chicken, pork, lamb, beef, vegetables…basically anything you want to have a little island flavour. This recipe is adapted form my book Cooking Meat, which has all kinds of marinades and tasty tips for meat-cooking success!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Marinade
3 Tbsp chopped garlic
1½ Tbsp seeded and chopped Scotch bonnet pepper
1 Tbsp chopped ginger
3 cups chopped green onions
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup packed brown sugar
2½ Tbsp ground allspice
2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
Chicken
4 chicken legs, skin-on and bone-in, split between the thigh and the drumstick
½ cup sliced green onions
Method
- To make the marinade, place the garlic, Scotch bonnets, and ginger in a food processor and process at high speed until finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl. Place the green onions in the food processor and purée. Stir this purée into the garlic mixture and pour it all into a blender. Add the soy sauce and oil, followed by the sugar, allspice, thyme leaves, salt, dried thyme, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and purée on high speed until well combined. Measure ½ cup of the marinade into a clean bowl and refrigerate the rest, reserving it for another use. It will keep fresh in your fridge for 4 weeks.
- Place the chicken in a nonreactive bowl, add the ½ cup marinade, and toss well. If you prefer a healthier dose of marinade, help yourself. Stir in the sliced green onions. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the barbecue to medium-high on one side and medium on the other. Place the chicken on the hotter side of the grill to sear, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer it to the cooler side to finish cooking, about 20 minutes. The chicken is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.
- To serve, arrange the legs on a platter and serve immediately.