Jamaican Jerk Chicken

This is a great dish. Midway though the meal, Heather said, “This goes into regular rotation for sure!” It’s an interesting way to make a wonderful chicken dish for sure, but, let me warn you, it’s HOT! How hot you ask? The kind of hot where your hair sweats. Your shirt sweats. There is sweat pouring down your face, and even so, you just cannot wait to take another bite!

The secret is in the marinade.

Jerk Marinade

• 4 scallions
• 1 small onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 Scotch bonnet pepper (We could not find Scotch Bonnet, so we made it with Habanero, which is pretty similar on the Scoville scale.
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp ground Allspice
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt
• Optional: 1 tbsp dark rum

Blend everything into a thick paste. Slash bone in chicken, we used thighs, and massage the spice into the chicken. The outer limit for the marinade is 3 days, but one day will suffice. To prepare for cooking, I used a 12 inch pan, and carefully wiped the bulk of the marinade off the chicken, leaving a thin layer. I let it rest out of the fridge for about 30 minutes before baking to allow it to come to temperature and tighten up a bit. I baked it for about 40 minutes at 375 before putting the chicken on a grid and painting it with the finishing glaze of hot honey, lime juice and a pi9nch of freshly ground allspice, then caramelized the chicken under the broiler, turning and basting it often for the next few minutes till it began to turn.

I let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving it over rice. I used the time to reduce the sauce that was in the bottom of the roasting pan and poured it over the rice.

Again, an absolutely delicious meal.