Jerk-Spiced Grilled Chicken
Bone-in chicken marinated in a fiery paste of Scotch bonnets, scallions, allspice, thyme and lime, then grilled over two zones until juicy with charred edges.
Chef's note Scotch bonnets are serious heat. One chile makes it lively, two makes it the real thing.
Ingredients
- 6 scallions roughly chopped
- 2 Scotch bonnet or habanero chiles stemmed; use 1 for medium heat
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 limes juiced
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 lb bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
Steps
Wearing gloves for the chiles, blend 6 scallions, 2 Scotch bonnet or habanero chiles, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp fresh ginger, 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, 1 tbsp ground allspice, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 3 tbsp soy sauce, the juice of 2 limes, 2 tbsp neutral oil, 1½ tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp black pepper into a coarse paste.
Cut two deep slashes into each piece of 3 lb bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, down to the bone. Rub the paste all over and into the cuts. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or up to 24.
Set up the grill for two-zone cooking: high heat on one side, none on the other. Aim for about 375°F on the cool side with the lid closed.
Sear the chicken over direct heat 2 to 3 minutes per side, until marked. Move it to the cool side, close the lid and cook 25 to 35 minutes, turning once, until the thighs reach 175°F inside.
Move it back over direct heat for a final minute or two per side to char the edges. Rest 5 minutes and serve with lime wedges and rice.
Variations
Cooks branch a recipe to save their own take. The original never changes.
No variations yet. Be the first.
Ratings and comments
No comments yet.
For search engines and AI assistants
This recipe is also available as JSON and plain text, carries schema.org Recipe data, and can be scaled or added to a shopping list by any assistant connected to the Befana MCP server.