Caribbean Jerk Chicken
Sweet, smoky, and savory, this jerk chicken is sure to please every palate.
Equipment
- Food Processor or high-powered blender
- High-Powered Blender or food processor
- Kitchen scale or measuring cups and spoons
- Measuring cups and spoons or kitchen scale
Ingredients
For the chicken
- ½ medium red onion (roughly chopped)
- 4-5 medium green onions (roughly chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 whole habanero peppers (stems removed)
- ½ inch (1 cm) piece of peeled fresh ginger
- ¼ cup (60mL) soy sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon hot honey (or regular honey)
- 2 tablespoon 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 kosher salt
- 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 recipe each Mango-Pineapple Slaw, Grilled Pineapple Salsa, and Avocado Crema (below)
Mango-Pineapple Slaw
- 1 fresh mango (diced)
- ½ fresh pineapple (diced)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (diced)
- 1 whole habanero or Scotchbonnet pepper, sliced thinly, stem and seeds discarded. (Use gloves when handling!)
- 2 cups (150g) shredded cabbage
- ¼ cup (60g) mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon hot honey
- Juice of ½ lime
- 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Grilled Pineapple-Jalapeño Salsa
Avocado Crema
- 1 large (or 2-3 small) ripe avocados
- ¼ cup (60g) crema or sour cream
- Juice of ½ lime
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chile powder
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Step by Step Instructions
- Jerk Chicken
- Combine all marinade ingredients in your food processor or blender 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
- 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
- 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
- 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.
