I’d been craving (leptin problem maybe?) some jerk chicken lately, probably because the flavors remind me of the beach, which is what I am really craving…
Anyway, since there are no places around here that can make good jerk chicken, I played around with recipes until I found this Caribbean jerk chicken recipe, which is Ah-Mazing! If you like these flavors I highly recommend trying this recipe!
Caribbean Jerk Chicken
Note: Flavors are best if you let the chicken marinate overnight before cooking. Recipe serves 4-6 people and makes great leftovers to scramble in eggs for breakfast or take for lunches on the go.
Caribbean Jerk Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken or 3-4 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 lime
- 1 large red onion
- 1 bunch green onions
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp allspice optional
- 2 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- dash of nutmeg
- 2 TBSP butter or coconut oil
- 2 tsp spiced rum or apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- If using a whole chicken, cut in half (see notes).
- Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice over the chicken and rub in.
- In a food processor, combine all remaining ingredients and process until it forms a paste.
- Rub the jerk seasoning paste over the chicken halves.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for at least a few hours or overnight if you can.
- After the chicken is done marinating, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Place the chicken in a large roasting dish and place in oven.
- Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest 10 minutes.
- Remove from the bone and serve with vegetables.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- 1 lb zucchini or yellow squash, diced
- 2 green apples, peeled and diced
- 1 onion, sliced
- ¼ cup coconut oil or olive oil
- dash of cinnamon, salt, pepper, and thyme to mimic the jerk flavor
Nutrition
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Do you like Jamaican/Caribbean flavors? Ever been there? Share below!
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This was FABULOUS!!! I did not have a few ingredients (green onion and lime) but I did substitute for reg onion and lemon, flavor was still great. I also used US Wellness Meats chicken Thighs and the chicken was so tender and juicy. I loved this recipe, thank you!!
Do you cut the chicken in half just to shorten the cooking time? This could be prepared without cutting the chicken, it would just take a bit longer, right?
Thanks for the recipe!
I haven’t made this, but I will say that if there isn’t any heat it isn’t jerk, namely scotch bonnet. scotch bonnet gives it a unique flavor that can’t replicated along with the necessary heat. Black pepper alone won’t cut it. And, as stated above, there is nothing called Caribbean jerk. Just an FYI.
Sounds delish Kate. But what about the hot pepper gal? I’m Jamaican and I guess I’ll just have to add that to the recipe ;-). I’ll give it a try as I have just finished up my bottled jerk spice and would have to travel to the nearest country (which is England as I happen to live in France) to get some. I’ll let you know how it turned out. Thanks for all the hard work. Much appreciated.
This is a very good adaptation of Jamaican Jerk. Please note there is no such thing as Caribbean Jerk. The Jerk method of cooking is from the Maroons in Jamaica, slaves that escaped and set up free communities in the interior mountains of the country. The Jerk method of cooking/curing meat allowed them to survive while they waged a war against the British. So fierce were the Maroons, the English negotiated and signed a treaty which gave them the right to govern themselves on their own land. Who knew that the Jerk chicken you eat today could have so much history, that is uniquely Jamaican, not Caribbean.
Katie – consider adding this to the AIP roundtable (www.phoenixhelix.com). I think just subbing mace for the nutmeg and maybe omitting the allspice would make this an AIP-friendly recipe – and I love Jerk Chicken so it’s great to know I can still eat it! 🙂
This was awesome!! Even my picky 22 year old son loved it!! The roasted squash and vegetables were soooo good too!! Definitely will be making these again!! Thanks for sharing!!!
I made this for dinner tonight. It is YUMMY!!!!! Thank you for sharing!
Yum! Looks delish. About to share it on my FB page!
OOOh, I can’t wait to try this! My husband and I got married in Jamaica and I love those Caribbean flavors. Thanks for posting! 🙂
My husband and I got married in Jamaica too! Jerk anything is one of my faves! This looks delicious and I cannot wait to try it!