Authentic Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Years ago, I used to travel to the Caribbean as a guest instructor to teach yoga. I would teach a few hours a day and the rest of the time was mine to enjoy. It was pretty awesome. One time, when I was pregnant with The Prince, we were staying at a beautiful resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Every afternoon, we’d walk along the beach to an outdoor kitchen (more of a grass hut, really) run by an older Jamaican woman who made the best jerk chicken I had ever had. The chicken was cooked on huge circular charcoal grills right on the beach, and she would serve it up with a giant scoop of rice and some sweet plantains on the side.

The chicken was tangy and salty with a little bit of heat, but never too much. The sauce was thick and clung to the skin while it cooked, and the meat was so tender it fell off the bone. I was like a literal crackhead with this chicken. I could not get enough – and since I was eating for two, I certainly didn’t hold back. We didn’t miss a single day of visiting that nice lady at her jerk hut the whole time we stayed there. On the last day, I asked if she would share her recipe for the most amazing Jamaican Jerk Chicken in the world. And guess what – she did!

How authentic is this recipe?

She scribbled down her recipe on the back of two small cocktail napkins that she had on hand. The original recipe on those napkins still rests securely in my personal cookbook, stuck to a page of its own, behind a clear sheet of laminated paper. I had to translate some of the measurements that she had written in grams and ounces into cups and tablespoons. And I had to make a few educated guesses where she wrote “put in some thyme and scallion”. Oh, and I also added a bit of oil to make the sauce a little more saucy and less pasty. Other than that, this Jamaican Jerk Chicken is all hers.

What you’ll need to make Jamaican Jerk Chicken

The ingredients are few, yet sometimes a challenge to find. First, the Pickapeppa Sauce. This is, hands down, the coolest condiment I’ve ever tried. It’s tough to describe, but if I had to compare it to anything, I’d say it’s closest in flavor profile to A1 Steak Sauce. But really, it’s so much better. Pickapeppa gets its unique flavor from an aged blend of tomatoes, onions, even some raisins – and cane vinegar.

Cane vinegar is exactly what you’d expect it to be – it’s vinegar made from sugar cane. This results in a more mellow flavor than regular distilled vinegars. Pickapeppa is used as a condiment in the islands and many other parts of the world just like ketchup and mayo, and it plays a big role in the creation of this Jamaican Jerk Chicken sauce. It isn’t usually hard to find Pickapeppa Sauce in supermarkets, just be sure to buy a few bottles. They come in really small bottles. So if you’re making a decent sized batch of chicken, you will likely need more than one bottle of Pickapeppa.

The ingredient that I’ve had the most challenge finding at the supermarket is blackened seasoning. It’s a dry powder that you’d find in the spice aisle, unlike Pickapeppa which is a bottled sauce usually found where the steak sauces are. Please don’t confuse blackened seasoning with Cajun seasoning, Old Bay or anything that’s labeled “jerk seasoning”. You may think that one of these seasonings is close enough and could sub in for blackened seasoning, and you’d be wrong. Trust me, I’ve tried. My supermarket used to carry Emeril’s Blackened Seasoning and when they stopped, I was at a loss. I’ve been able to find it here and there over the years. Worst case scenario, I just order it on Amazon. It really doesn’t matter which brand you use, only that it is clearly labeled “blackened seasoning”.

How to make Jamaican Jerk Chicken

In terms of method, you can make this Jamaican Jerk Chicken on the grill or in the oven. I like the 20-20-20 method when using the grill: 20 minutes in a disposable tin that sits on the grill, 20 minutes on the grill grates and 20 minutes back in the tin. It’s less work if you do it in the oven. You’ll just have to remember to baste the chicken every 10-15 minutes. I love to serve it with lots of fluffy white rice that I season only with chopped scallions. The jerk sauce is so insanely flavorful that you don’t need to do anything fancy with the rice. And be sure to spoon some extra sauce onto the rice – so delicious.

I have been back to Jamaica many times over the years and have had some seriously amazing jerk chicken. But none as special as the chicken that was so lovingly prepared by that sweet lady on the beach in Ocho Rios. Every summer when I make this Jamaican Jerk Chicken at home, I look at her hand-written recipe on those cocktail napkins and smile. I hope that this slightly-adjusted recipe does her proud, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Tangy, earthy, flavorful and fall-off-the-bone tender, this chicken is a true taste of the islands

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 20 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Jamaican

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

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• 6 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken parts
• 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups blackened seasoning
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup Pickapeppa sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
• 1 cup chopped scallions divided
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups cooked white rice

Instructions

 

• Preheat the grill to 350 degrees or oven to 375 degrees.
• Place the chicken in a large bowl. Pour in the vinegar and “wash” the chicken in the vinegar until coated. Remove the chicken and arrange in disposable tins (if grilling) or 9×13 baking dishes, taking care not to overcrowd the pans.
• In a bowl, combine the blackened seasoning, garlic, Pickapeppa, thyme, 1/2 cup of scallions and vegetable oil. Pour the sauce over the chicken, using your hands to make sure that the chicken is coated in the sauce.
• Grill Method: Cover the tins with foil. Place tins on the grill grates and close the grill for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from tins and place directly onto the grill for the next 20 minutes. For the last 20 minutes, put the chicken back into the tins and cover with foil.
• Oven Method: Roast for one hour, basting the chicken every 10-15 minutes.
• Combine the cooked rice with the remaining 1/2 cup of scallions. Serve alongside the chicken.

Keyword chicken, gluten free, low fat

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