Hurts So Good Jerk Chicken

One of my favourite summertime eats has to be Jerk Chicken. Served with a Mayo-based Potato salad, some peaches & cream corn and it tastes so good, "it make wanna smack Grandma"! This recipe has best results if you allow the marinade to penetrate the chicken. This is a "make 1 day ahead" recipe.

Why does this Jerk Chicken hurt so good? From time to time I forget that I'm dealing with Habanero or Scotch Bonnet Peppers and I found myself in "personal" pain after handling the peppers (made for a funny dance though). Have a look at the chili pepper guide to set you straight on hot peppers.

I'm quite happy with a ready-made bottle of Jerk Marinade. I recommend Grace's Jerk Marinade for those who want a quick, easy and tasty result.

I wanted to experiment and see if the homemade blend of Jerk Marinade would beat the bottled variety and here's what you'll need:
Jerk Marinade:
1 medium onion, rough chop
3 tbsp vegetable/canola oil
3 tbsp ground coriander
3 tbsp ground ginger
3 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp sea salt
1-2 Habanero or Scotch Bonnet Peppers (please handle with gloves)
1 tbsp dry thyme
2 tsp coarse black pepper
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp lime juice
3 tsp orange juice
1 tsp Soya Sauce
2 tsp sugar


Chicken
You'll need about 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces, or 4 quarters or 10 thighs.

1) Using your food processor, combine all the ingredients of the jerk marinade and pulse until you have a smooth, dark brown thick liquid.

2) Get a large zip-lock bag and deposit your chicken in along with the Jerk marinade in the the bag. Squish the bag so that all the chicken pieces are covered in the marinade. Place the sealed bag into a large bowl or tray and refrigerate for at least overnight.

3) The next day, when you're ready to cook (I prefer the BBQ) light your grill for indirect cooking. If you have 2 burners, one is lit & the other is closed. If you have a 3 burner, light the top & lower and the middle one being closed. With a close-lid BBq, your aim is for 375f temp.

4) Place your chicken in the BBQ on the part of the the grill not lit and close your lid. Check from time to time in case of fat flare ups but you should be okay. Flip your chicken half-way through as with this method, the heat's on top (not bottom). The chicken should be ready in 1 hr. 15 mins.


Bottom line: If you want a no-fuss marinade, the bottled variety I suggested held up very well to my homemade version. Grace's marinade ingredients look clean with only sodium benzoate being anything remotely from a laboratory.

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