Try this delicious Jamaican dish Best jerk chicken recipe
Ingredients (4 people)
1 kg. chicken thighs
For the Jerk seasoning
4 o 5 scotch bonnet chilies, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 tbs. allspice, clove, cinnamon, 1 small onion, 2 tbs. nutmeg, 2 tbs. brown sugar, 2 tbs. ginger, 3 small sprigs of thyme, 1/2 cup lime juice, 3 tbs. olive oil, 2 tbs. soy sauce, salt
Preparation
Step 1. Cut and the scotch bonnet peppers and remove the seeds. Chop the garlic cloves.
Step 2. Make the Jerk sauce: Grind the allspice, bonnet peppers, clove, cinnamon, onion, nutmeg, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, thyme, salt, lime juice, olive oil and soy sauce.
Step 3. In a bowl, toss the chicken in the sauce until it is well covered. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate for at least one day in the fridge.
Step 4. It is traditionally made on barbecues or grills, although it can also be baked. In about 40 minutes at 200ºC (392 ºF), each thigh will be golden and delicious.
Jerk chicken: the star dish in Jamaican cuisine
When talking about Jamaica, it’s inevitable to think about the greatest icons in this Caribbean country: from the always remembered Bob Marley to the record-breaking Usain Bolt, as well as reggae music. However, culture on this Antillean island has many other hues that create its unique footprint. One of them is Jamaican cuisine, with an all-time culinary tradition that has a popular favorite: jerk chicken.
The love for cooking is in the local population’s DNA. Colorful and intense, Jamaican cuisine is well-known for its generous recipe book in which chicken, rabbit, pork, fish, vegetables, rice and of course, spices cannot be missing. All of them are combined in delicious dishes that subtly mix all kinds of flavors. For example, fried bananas, peppered pork or green papaya chutney, without forgetting about Jamaican rum and coffee liqueur, two of the most well-known national beverages. However, jerk chicken deserves special attention.
The term that accompanies this type of lean meat, jerk, references the marinating process, may it be meat, vegetables or fruit. However, if truth be told, we must say that this process is not local, but landed in Jamaica thanks to travelers from Peru. This was more than 2,500 years ago, more than enough time to explain how it has grown on the culture of this Caribbean spot.
Although there are many ways to prepare jerk chicken, one of the most common techniques is to smoke it, adding chili, garlic and aromatic herbs to give it a slightly spicy and delicious touch that makes it irresistible. There are no rules when it comes to using spices, so it all depends on the chef’s imagination. However, there is an unbreakable rule: only use the unrepeatable Jamaican pepper.
Not fond of hot flavors? In that case, and to make it milder, you can add a splash of single cream to the marinated base before serving it. Thus, the milk’s fat will neutralize the chili’s capsaicin – this is the substance that makes the chicken taste spicy -, which is why you will be able to savor one of the most typical Jamaican dishes without a problem.
And if you don’t feel like cooking yourself, in the idyllic panoramic of Montego Bay you will find these hotels in Jamaica, where you will be able to enjoy these and many other delicacies from the Jamaican cuisine that will captivate your palate. Why not taste it yourself?
