Jerk Chicken
About this Recipe
By: Rachel
I have written before about my best idea for meal-sharing with your neighbors: Pyramid Scheme Dinner Club. The first week was a little anxiety-inducing: what should I cook? What if I didn’t like what others decided to make?
In the first week of our experiment, my neighbor, Laura, made the most incredible jerk chicken. Juicy thighs with a beautiful, crusty char on the outside; bright mango-pineapple slaw, grilled pineapple salsa, and a luscious avocado crema that was the perfect complement to the heat of the habanero peppers.
I was hooked from the first bite, and now, jerk chicken is a regular feature in our repertoire. It has so many elements–heat, spice, sweetness, creaminess, smoke, char–that it’s impossible to get bored.
This recipe is my go-to for summer get-togethers, as it makes great use of the grill. The chicken takes on a great smoky flavor, and if you’ve never had grilled pineapple… you should! Not only is it absolutely delicious as a base for salsa, it is fantastic for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (try marinating it in dark rum!)
Habanero peppers add a delicious heat to this dish. It has been a huge hit even with those who don’t usually go for spicy food, but if you are worried, you can reduce the number of peppers called for, or omit the seeds, which are the spiciest part. You could also substitute a whole jalapeño pepper for the habanero.
Although this recipe has several components, the flavors absolutely sing together. The chicken is juicy and packed with flavor, with a wonderful crisp on the outside from the char of the grill. The slaw adds brightness, crunch, and sweetness; the salsa has a more mellow flavor that balances the slaw perfectly. And the avocado crema adds a smooth, cool element to counteract the heat.
I like to serve this in a bowl over steamed rice. I’ve written before about my failure to cook coconut rice properly, but that would be an absolutely delicious accompaniment. Head on over to Carlsbad Cravings for a great recipe.
Jerk Chicken
Ingredients
- ½ red onion, roughly chopped
- 4-5 green onions, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 habanero peppers (stems removed)
- ½ inch piece of ginger, peeled
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon hot honey (you can substitute regular honey)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ tablespoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon five-spice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 recipe each Mango-Pineapple Slaw, Grilled Pineapple Salsa, and Avocado Crema (below)
Step by Step Instructions
- Jerk Chicken
- Combine all marinade ingredients in your food processor and purée.
- In a dish with a cover or a Ziplock bag, pour the marinade over the chicken and stir to ensure that the marinade is distributed evenly. Place the chicken in the refrigerator, and let marinate for 2-24 hours. You can prepare the remaining elements while the chicken marinates. Once the chicken is ready to cook, simply discard the marinade and cook over a hot grill (or on your stovetop) until fully cooked.
Mango-Pineapple Slaw
- 1 fresh mango, diced
- ½ fresh pineapple, diced
- 1 sweet red bell pepper, diced
- 1 habanero or Scotchbonnet pepper, sliced thinly, stem and seeds discarded (use gloves when handling!)
- 2 cups shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon hot honey
- Juice of ½ lime
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, and stir to combine.I use much less mayonnaise than in most coleslaw recipes—I prefer to keep this slaw light and fresh. You can increase the amount of mayonnaise to suit your taste.
Grilled Pineapple-Jalapeño Salsa
- ½ red onion
- ½ fresh pineapple
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper
- Juice of ½ lime
- ¼ cup (12g) chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon Tajín (or substitute a mix of kosher salt and chile powder)
- Grill the red onion, pineapple, and jalapeño until blackened in spots, and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Dice the red onion, pineapple, and jalapeño (you can include the seeds for a spicer salsa, or discard them) and add to a medium bowl. Add the lime, cilantro, and Tajín, and stir to combine. Taste your salsa—you can stir in some honey, hot honey, or a little brown sugar if you want to add sweetness; more Tajín for spice, and more lime juice for acidity.
Avocado Crema
- 1 large ripe avocado (or 2-3 small avocados)
- ¼ cup (60g) crema or sour cream
- Juice of ½ lime
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chile powder
- Generous pinch kosher salt
- Combine the ingredients in a small bowl attachment of a food processor, and process until smooth. (You can also combine in a molcajete or mash with a fork). Taste and correct seasoning, adding more lime or salt as needed.
Beverage Pairing
By: Olivia
Whether you manage to create a Pyramid Scheme Dinner Club of your own or not (we really should mimic this in our own communities), this jerk chicken recipe and its delicious accompaniments need to be paired with a ‘no-fuss, agreeable with many flavors’ wine. Cue the Syrah rosé! A dry and slightly peppery wine that complements the spice of the dish but also doesn’t get lost in the many flavors present. It’ll also be fresh and fruity to cut through the spice and add to the fruit present in the slaw and salsa.
