Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Method

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1. Blend all the marinade ingredients into a thick, coarse paste. Wear gloves when handling the scotch bonnets and do not touch your face.

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2. Reserve 4 tablespoons of the marinade for basting, then rub the rest into the chicken, deep into every slash.

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3. Marinate, covered, in the fridge for at least 12 hours and up to 24.

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4. Take the chicken out an hour before cooking and scrape off the thickest clumps of marinade, which would burn.

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5. Set up a barbecue for indirect heat, with coals banked to one side, or heat an oven to 180°C / 355°F.

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6. Cook the chicken skin-side up on the cool side, lid closed, for 35 to 45 minutes. Add a handful of soaked wood chips to the coals if you have them.

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7. Baste with the reserved marinade twice during this time.

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8. Move the chicken over direct heat for the final 6 to 8 minutes, turning frequently, until the skin is charred, lacquered and blistered and the meat reads 78°C.

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9. Rest 10 minutes, chop into pieces with a cleaver as they do in Jamaica, and serve with lime, rice and peas, and mango salsa.

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Chef’s Tips

• Scotch bonnets carry a fruity flavour as well as serious heat. Deseed them for less fire without losing that.
• Indirect first, direct last. Reversing the order gives you burnt skin and raw meat.
• The marinade keeps for weeks in the fridge and is excellent on pork or prawns.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the chillies in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.

Pairing Suggestions

• A cold Red Stripe or a rum punch
• Serve with rice and peas, fried plantain and festival dumplings
• Finish with fresh pineapple

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate 4 days, freeze 3 months. Reheat at 190°C / 375°F for 12 minutes; it is also excellent cold.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.