Grilled Jamaican Jerk Chicken
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A zesty lime and island-spiced marinade gives this easy grilled jamaican jerk chicken tons of bold flavor and a juicy, tender center.
I have two words for you—> FLAVOR. BOMB.
The process is so simple. Throw a bunch of spices and peppers into a blender, pulse til smooth, throw it in a bag with some chicken and let it hang out in the fridge for a few hours… then grill it up. done, done, and done. So if you break it down it’s two parts. Part one) marinade, part two) chicken. And it’s that marinade that turns the chicken in a flavor bomb.
Seriously, SO. MUCH. FLAVOR.
It’s spicy with a little bit of sweetness and grilling gives the outside a nice crispness while the inside stays nice and juicy-tender. If you’ve never tried Jamaican jerk anything before, your mind is about to be blown. And don’t shy away from the ginger in this recipe! I generally don’t love ginger but in this recipe, it absolutely works – it’s not overpowering but ads a lot of umph to the dish and helps give it that signature Jamaican jerk flavor.
What people are saying about this Grilled Jamaican Jerk Chicken
“Holy crap! I made this tonight and it was SO GOOD. It was a big spicy for me (which almost never happens), so I may try using three habanero next time. Thank you SO MUCH!” – Meredith
“Made this tonight and everyone was fighting over the last piece. Thank you for helping me be a dinner super star!” – Amber
“I just made this for dinner. The only modification was exchanging 2 jalapenos for the 4 habaneros. THE FLAVOR WAS AMAZING. Thank you for this recipe.” – Christopher
Grilled Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts , or 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 5 tablespoons oil
- juice of 4 limes , (about 5-6 tablespoons)
- 2 green onions, roughly chopped
- 4 habanero chili's , (stems and seeds removed), roughly chopped
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine oil, lime juice, and next 9 ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until well blended. Reserve 1/4 cup of the mixture in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Transfer remaining mixture into a large resealable bag. Add chicken, seal bag, and chill for 3-8 hours.
- Grease and preheat grill. Remove chicken from bag, discard the bag and remaining marinade. Grill chicken 5-6 minutes on each side.
- Brush reserved sauce over the chicken and grill 2-3 minutes longer on each side until cooked through (large chicken breasts may need some additional grilling time) Garnish with chopped cilantro if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We had an abundance of habanero peppers from the garden and I decided to try this recipe. Not gonna lie, the four habanero peppers scared me a little, but we do like spicy food, so I dove in. This was the tastiest grilled jerk chicken we ever eaten!! So much flavor! I followed the recipe to the letter, except was short a lime, so subbed some fresh squeezed orange juice. Will definitely make this again. Thanks so much for this recipe.
Thank you! I’m so glad it turned out so well for you 🙂
This is awesome! Yakes me back to jamaica. I used thighS and they were cooked pe and juicy. Defin on our rotation!!
I am having an issue pulling up the recipe for Grilled Jamaican Jerk Chicken.
So sorry! That was an error with my site at the time that was not allowing recipes to load correctly. Thanks for your patience!
Thanks, I was always hesitant to even look into trying to make jerk chicken, but your recipe made it easy. I wasnt able to find habaneros so I used jalapenos and bell peppers. I did also add turmeric, cayenne (I live spicy stuff) and a PInch of chicken bouillon and it was amazing. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your subs!
I made today aNd my wife said that i outdid mySelf! Great fLavor!!!
Way to go, Kirk!!
Hey this isn’t jamaican jerk. It’s just spicy chicken. Not being a troll I’m actually from Jamaica.
This is not Jerk chickeN and i think it’s a lovely recipe buT the dish is a part of My culture and this is Not it. Id be happy to give you a Real jerk chicken recipe.
Can you make this marinade in advance and refrigerate it?
Yes, you could do that! It may separate a little, so just make sure to mix it well before using it again!
Its look so delicious. Can I bake it instead of grilling ?
You could bake them if that is your preference. I highly suggest grilling them if it’s possible though! After they’re done baking, you could always broil them for a bit afterwards to achieve something similar!
THIS WAS GOOD. i CONSIDER MYSELF SOMEWHAT OF A PEPPER HEAD AND IT WAS ABIT SPICY FOR ME. wOULD MAKE IT AGAIN BUT WOULD TRY HALF THE HABANEROS. tHE HEAT TENDED TO OVERWHELM THE HERBS AND OTHER INGREDIENTS.
Could you use this MARINADE aS a sauce to cooK fish in?
Hi! I haven’t done this myself, but it may work! Definitely let me know if you try it! 🙂