Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Charred, smoky, intensely seasoned bone-in chicken marinated in a fiery scotch-bonnet jerk paste. Jamaica's most exported flavor, in a home-kitchen-friendly version.
- Total time:
- 1 hr
- Servings:
- 6
- Per serving:
- 520 kcal
- Cost per serving:
- $3.80
- Difficulty:
- medium
Step-by-step
Blend all marinade ingredients (everything except chicken) until smooth.
Cut shallow slashes into chicken pieces. Coat with marinade. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
Heat grill to medium (350°F) or oven to 400°F.
Grill chicken skin-down 8 minutes for char. Flip, move to indirect heat, cover. Cook 25 more minutes until 165°F internal.
33 min timer
Oven method: roast on a rack 35–40 minutes, broiling final 3 minutes for color.
38 min timer
Rest 5 minutes. Serve with rice and peas.
Cook's tip
Use gloves to handle scotch bonnets. Marinade should be a thick paste, not a thin sauce.
Storage
Refrigerate 4 days. Reheat in 375°F oven.
Freezer: Freeze marinated raw chicken 3 months. Thaw before cooking.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 42g
- Carbs
- 9g
- Fat
- 34g
- Fiber
- 1g
- Sugar
- 5g
- Sat Fat
- 9g
- Sodium
- 920mg
Estimates based on USDA FoodData Central. See our nutrition disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
Too spicy. can I tone it down?
Use 1 scotch bonnet and remove seeds. Or sub habanero, or even jalapeño for very mild.
No grill. does the oven version work?
Yes. broil for the last 3 minutes to mimic char. Use a wire rack so heat circulates underneath.
Reviews
Tola O.
3 days ago
Made this for Sunday lunch — the smoky bottom turned out perfect. Family demolished the pot in twenty minutes.
✓ Would make again
Marcus B.
1 week ago
First time cooking this and the timing notes saved me. Did not lift the lid once. The crust at the bottom was the best part.
✓ Would make again
Aisha K.
2 weeks ago
Loved it but added an extra scotch bonnet — we like it spicy. Recipe scales well, made a double batch.
✓ Would make again
Reviews shown are illustrative pre-launch. Real user reviews appear here as the community grows.
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