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We really don’t think chickens are jerks. Its just the name for a Caribbean style chicken barbecue. If you need a flavor change for the typical chicken barbecue, this is your answer. Spicy, sweet and slightly hot, my adaptation of jerk chicken is a kaleidoscope of flavors on your palate. The marinade/sauce whips up easily in the food processor. You can marinate from 2-24 hours and then off to the bbq master. During the summer I usually serve this with a light salad and bbq roasted veggies.
Jerk Chicken
1/2 bunch green onions, cut 2” lengths
3 garlic cloves
1 scant (2”) peeled fresh ginger – cut into 1/2” disks
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
3-4 allspice, berries
1/2 whole cinnamon stick or 1 scant tsp ground cinnamon
1 scant tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
2 jalapenos pepper(or a mix from the garden)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/8 C soy
3-4 Tbsp lime juice (fresh – about 2 limes)
2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh (as desired)
1/4 C canola or olive oil
1 Tbsp rice wine
4 skin on bone-in chicken leg quarters or one 3lb chicken halved
Whiz all ingredients except chicken – Reserve a 1/2 C marinade for basting & marinade chicken in the rest of the marinade 2 hours to overnight in frig. Best cooked on the barbecue.
***Note – Traditional Jerk recipes call for habanero or scotch bonnet peppers which up the heat factor by about 100%. My version is scaled back to accommodate more moderate palates.
