This jerk chicken marinade is the most flavorful chicken marinade you’ll ever have! This jerk chicken recipe can be made with whole chicken breasts or you can skewer them with your favorite vegetables! Spicy, full of flavor, this jerk chicken marinade is a must try.

Jerk

Jerk was taught by Taino (indigenous people of the Caribbean) to African slaves, whom then translated it into jerk chicken in Jamaica. Traditionally cooked over a smokey fire pit, which gave it that delicious smokey taste and enhanced the spices. The seasoning mainly consisting of all spice, scotch bonnets, and either chicken or pork. Throughout the Caribbean, each island makes their jerk a bit different. Some do just a dry jerk rub and others make a wet jerk marinade.

Jerk marinade

Every year we go to St. Lucia for vacation and I always eat half my body weight in jerk chicken. I don’t think there is such thing as a more flavorful piece of meat. For this recipe, I did a wet marinade to infuse as much flavor into the chicken and keep it juicy. Jerk seasoning has many influences not just from the Caribbean, but Africa, Europe, and most recently Asian influences. All of these flavors blend together to make such a flavorful marinade.

Scotch bonnet

Scotch bonnet peppers, also known as Caribbean red peppers, are named because they resemble a Scottish tam’o shanter hat. Scotch bonnets are around 100,000-350,000 on the scoville heat unit. I get mine at the local Jamaican market, but if you’re in a pinch and can’t find them you can substitute with a habanero pepper. If you like your jerk very spicy you can add two peppers, we did two and it was perfect for our taste. If not, just stick with one to be safe.

Making the jerk marinade

1. For the marinade, I use 2 scotch bonnet’s, but we like our jerk very spicy. You can use just one, or even remove the seeds depending on your spice preference (but jerk should definitely have some heat!). I recommend using gloves when handling them and washing your hands thoroughly after.
2. Add all the marinade ingredients to a food processor.
3. Blend on high until all ingredients are fully chopped and combined.

Once the jerk marinade is blended, you can proceed to marinate your chicken immediately, or store the jerk marinade. Store the jerk marinade in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Marinating chicken

You can use this marinade for whole chicken breasts or skewer them. To skewer, cut the chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes prior to putting in the marinade. Cover the marinade container and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours. For maximum flavor I recommend overnight.

Jerk skewer accompaniments

To go with the jerk chicken, I also add pineapple, bell peppers, and red onion. Since the jerk chicken is so spicy, the pineapple cuts the spice with sweetness and is absolutely delicious grilled.

Assembling the skewers

If you’re going to use wooden skewers, soak them for 10 minutes prior to skewering (this will keep them from burning). You can also use metal skewers. I also wear gloves with skewering due to the spicy marinade. Alternate between the vegetables and the marinated jerk chicken. I do not recommend leaving the pineapple on the side, because it tends to slide off while grilling.

Grilling the jerk chicken

We grilled it on our gas grill, but I can only imagine how amazing it would taste over a charcoal grill. Grill over medium/high heat (425F) and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. Cook time can vary due to thickness and size of chicken, so best to use a thermometer.

The jerk marinade will give you delicious charred crispy bits that are packed full of flavor! Once the chicken is fully cooked through, remove from the grill and I finished it off with some chopped scallions.

My favorite way to enjoy these grilled jerk chicken skewers is with my fried okra coconut rice. The coconut rice helps cool down the heat of the jerk chicken and they make the perfect pair.

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