Jerk Chicken

This is my version of the famous Jamaican chicken recipe. It uses spices that are usually used in sweet recipes. It has cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, but the stronger flavor is allspice. The Jamaican version is very spicy, usually made with scotch bonnet peppers, this version uses jalapeno peppers. if you wish you can eliminate the peppers totally. For best results it would be cooked over coals or bbq, but the marinade is so flavorful that it will work well in a normal oven.

Ingredients

Jerk Marinade

2 teaspoons allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon  ginger

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 onion

1 Red bell pepper

1 Green bell pepper

4 cloves garlic or 1 whole head

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced

1 bunch  green onions

2 oz lime  juice

2 oz soy sauce

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 tblsp thyme leaves

2 jalapeno peppers pepper,  if you want it hotter use habanero or scotch bonnet

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 whole chicken (about 5 pounds), cut into 10 pieces

Limes, for garnish

Parsley, for garnish

Directions

Begin by making the jerk marinade. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a blender and process until you have a smooth puree.

Add chicken pieces into a large resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Put the bag into a baking dish and let marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 F

Bake until minimum internal of 160F