How to Make Mouthwatering Grilled Jerk Chicken

Are you getting bored of being the guy who always just brings a cheap pack of burgers or sausages to the local barbecue, well you're in luck! In this Instructable I am going to show you how to make delicious jerk chicken! This recipe is quite versatile and can be adjusted to suit any level of spice that you crave, either omit the peppers all together or add small amounts or stick to a pepper with a heat you know you can handle.

This chicken is an easy and unique recipe you can prepare in advance and adds a great contribution to any summer party!

I have included a bonus recipe for a side potato salad that I find works really well with this dish!

For the Jerk Chicken:

900g or 2lbs of skinless boneless chicken

1 white onion

3 cloves garlic

4 spring onions

1 scotch bonnet

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

For the potato salad:

1 Kg (around 24) small new potatoes

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 spring onions

1/2 cup Caesar salad dressing

(optional) Bacon (around 240-300g)

Begin by chopping the vegetables (onion, garlic, spring onion and scotch bonnet) into small pieces (these do not need to be perfect, just more manageable sized pieces as we will be adding them to a blender, food processor or a bowl if using an immersion blender. If this is the first time you are making this recipe, I would recommend making a spicy and mild version. To do this, leave out the scotch bonnet at this step, and then add it in after you have portioned the amount of chicken you would like to leave mild.

Then, prepare your chicken. If you have chosen to use chicken thighs, they will normally already be a good size, if you are using chicken breasts I like to cut them in half so they are better portioned. Depending on the size of chicken breast you have purchased you may also wish to butterfly the breast pieces so they are thinner, both to ensure they are cooked through and also to expose more surface area to the marinade.

In a the bowl or body of a food process combine the vegetables you have chopped, the wet ingredients (orange juice, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, oil) and the dry ingredients (thyme, allspice, curry powder, salt pepper). Then, pulse to blend until well combined. This is a marinade so it does not matter if it is a bit chunky, it is not a sauce that will be used for presentation.

Pour the marinade over the chicken so that it may stay submerged in the liquid and allow the chicken to marinade for 24-48 hours. you can see that I have made a large portion of chicken which I did not add peppers too, and the smaller container has a scotch bonnet pepper for those that prefer the heat. Make sure not too lose track of which is which!

Once the chicken has finished marinating its ready to go on the barbecue. You want to let the charcoal burn for a bit and cook the chicken over the hot coals once the flames have subsided. Charcoal barbecues vary drastically in heat, so check on the chicken periodically but if you have a consistent heat (or a gas grill) its around 3-4 mins per side. However, if you've left your chicken a bit thicker cut, adjust accordingly.

While the chicken is grilling is the perfect time to make some sides to go with it, a great compliment to this dish is this Caesar potato salad. To start, chop 2-3 spring onions, and chop and boil some potatoes. Roughly chop the potatoes so they are all around equally sized to ensure they cook at the same rate.

Then, drain the potatoes and place on a baking tray with some olive oil, sea salt and pepper and bake until golden brown (for my oven, I found 10-12 mins on gas mark 6)

Once your potatoes are done, combine them, the spring onions, the bacon if you have chosen to add it and the Caesar dressing into a bowl and combine.

Take the chicken off the heat when it is cooked through and at you preference, I like to leave it until it has just begun to char.

I added a basic leafy green salad alongside the potato salad and jerk chicken and they go wonderfully together!

Now go out and try this recipe, and wow your friends by bringing this to your next barbecue.