This West African Jerk Chicken recipe relies on a blend of heady spices rubbed into the chicken which is then flame-grilled or oven-baked to deliver chicken that is succulent, smoky, spicy and sweet. Delicious as a side dish or served with a salad.
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One of the hallmarks of African or indeed Caribbean cooking is chilli. We love all things spicy. And spicy means all kinds of chillis – , habanero, jalapeno, scotch bonnet, ghost peppers – are usually on the menu. Not all once, of course, but you get the drift? Growing up in an African household meant I grew up on chilli and I especially love chilli. Now imagine the challenge of cooking for a household with a 7-year old who exhibits zero tolerance for any kind of heat in a dish. Do I have your sympathy yet?
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This week, I set myself a challenge to modify the jerk chicken rub recipe I have used for years. You see, the African jerk chicken I grew up on, gets it’s heat from scotch bonnet peppers, which by the way, are devilishly hot. And that is incompatible with my 7-year old. The challenge was to create a jerk chicken rub mild enough for a chilli-sensitive palate, yet punchy enough to deliver a kick, jerk-style.
Dare I say, I may be onto something with this recipe, I think. And it has to do with the spice mix. It’s got that oooomph that you expect from a jerk rub… thank goodness!
This African jerk chicken is smoky and sweet in a spicy kind of way.
or should that be smoky and spicy in a sweet kind of way?
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 12 pieces | 4 hours |
| Cook Time |
| 60 minutes |
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This West African Jerk Chicken recipe relies on a blend of heady spices rubbed into the chicken which is then flame-grilled or oven-baked to deliver chicken that is succulent, smoky, spicy and sweet. Delicious as a side dish or served with a salad.
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- 12 pieces chicken leg and drumsticks
- 2 tbsp cane sugar
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp thyme fresh and finely chopped
- 3 tsp ginger ground
- 3 tsp coriander ground
- 3 tsp cloves ground
- 3 tsp cinnamon ground
- 1 tsp nutmeg ground
- 3 tsp chilli powder ground
- 2 tsp garlic granulated
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- Mix all the spices together. Do not add the oil to the spices at this point.
- Stab the chicken legs, making 1 centimetre cuts into the flesh. Rub the jerk mix well into the chicken paying attention to get the mix under the skin and into the cuts as well.
- Cover with cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.
- Brush extra virgin olive oil onto the chicken pieces before baking in oven for 40 minutes at 180ºC (fan-assisted), or grill on a charcoal grill on indirect heat for 50 minutes or until done.
Serve with Jollof Rice and East-African Rustic Tomato Salsa
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