Name: Caribbean Jerk Chicken Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 315 min
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 thyme; 1 tsp allspice; 2 tsp pepper; 2 tsp salt; dash of nutmeg; 2 TBSP butter or coconut oil; 2 tsp spiced rum or apple cider vinegar

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…

Caribbean Jerk Chicken Healthy Recipe 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

A delicious and healthy jerk chicken recipe.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 2

Total Time 5 15

Calories 115kcal

Author Katie Wells

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings

-6 servings

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 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!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Caribbean Jerk Chicken Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 /6)

Calories 115 Calories from Fat 47

% Daily Value*

Fat 5.2g8%

Saturated Fat 2.8g18%

Cholesterol 39mg13%

Sodium 831mg36%

Carbohydrates 5.8g2%

Fiber 1.8g8%

Sugar 1.7g2%

Protein 11.9g24%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

There are a couple ways to halve a chicken: you can have the butcher do it for you or you can do it yourself with a sharp knife; just cut lengthwise through the middle of the breast leaving a leg on each side.

I recommend serving this jerk chicken with roasted squash and apples:

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

Toss to combine and roast with the chicken for the last 30 minutes until slightly soft.

Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!

Do you like Jamaican/Caribbean flavors? Ever been there? Share below!

Sources

Become a VIP member!

Get access to my VIP newsletter with health tips, special deals, my free ebook on Seven Small Easy Habits and so much more!

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

22 responses to “Caribbean Jerk Chicken Recipe”

kim

March 14, 2015

I have another question 🙂 should I use the chicken neck meat that comes in the chicken cavity in my stock too? Thank You!

Reply
kim

March 14, 2015

After you cook the chicken can you use the bones to make a chicken stock?

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  March 14, 2015
  
  Absolutely!
  
  Reply
  1. kim
    
    March 14, 2015
    
    Thank you! 1 more question. How many pound of bone will I get from a 9 pound chicken?
    
    Reply
    1. Wellness Mama
      
      March 15, 2015
      
      Depends on the chicken, honestly.
      
      Reply
Emily

October 29, 2014

I am excited to try this recipe- was thinking of finding a recipe similar to one I have had from someone from Trinidad…not sure what that kind of chicken he made, but prob similar to jerk, maybe? lol. Still doing research into what he put into it! Anyway- I wanted to post also that of the few recipes I’ve seen on here, they all look amazing. I haven’t gotten a chance to try one yet, but I know what I like and don’t like at this point and these look awesome to me! I love how simple, flavorful, and not too expensive they are. Thank you sooooooooo much for your website! My family just went low carb/sugar/processed junk, but moreso “whole” foods without grains and legumes. My two year old is allergic to some grains and legumes and I have an intolerance to peanuts and gluten. Cooking this new way has been invigorating, but still it is overwhelming to learn to cook differently, find a lot of GOOD recipes, that aren’t too expensive… and cook EVERY night and EVERY meal! This site has helped me feel it is more manageable… and even tastier! Thank you again!! 🙂

Reply
1. Annette
  
  October 30, 2014
  
  This was tasty and moist, however did not look at all like the picture. was it a marinade or a coating. It dd not crisp up and stayed moist and soggy on the surface of the chicken. Was I to take the marinade/ coating off of the chicken before roasting? I would like to make it again but would like it to fix the problem this time. I used skinless chicken breasts.
  
  Reply
Heather

October 1, 2014

Just wondering how long the marinade lasts in the fridge? I made this recipe without enough meat!

Reply
Cecil

August 18, 2014

That is NOT how you correctly cook Jamaican jerk chicken! At all.

You don’t make it taste sweet.
You use a variety of spices and different seasonings.

I think this is how British people cook chicken with no flavour.
Please re-name this, as I don’t want people to be deceived by this mistake

Regards
The Black Population.

Cecile.

Reply
1. Stephanie
  
  August 18, 2014
  
  This recipe was wonderful. I made it, and it was a hit for the family. The chicken was so flavorful and juicy. Even if it may not be an authentic jerk chicken, there isn’t any reason to bash her recipe. It’s simply her own version of jerk chicken.
  
  Reply
  1. Gina
    
    January 11, 2017
    
    I agree! People are so cruel! If you haven’t tried her cashew chicken its the bomb!!!!!
    
    Reply
Reagan

May 28, 2014

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!!

Reply
Stephanie

May 26, 2014

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!

Reply
Stacy

May 21, 2014

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.

Reply
Ingrid

May 20, 2014

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.

Reply
Gina

May 18, 2014

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.

Reply
Karen

May 15, 2014

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! 🙂

Reply
Barb

January 25, 2013

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!!!

Reply
Paula bolin

July 9, 2012

I made this for dinner tonight. It is YUMMY!!!!! Thank you for sharing!

Reply
Brianne

July 7, 2012

Yum! Looks delish. About to share it on my FB page!

Reply
Spahn

July 6, 2012

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! 🙂

Reply
1. Jennifer
  
  July 6, 2012
  
  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!
  
  Reply