My "untraditionally traditional" Jerk Chicken

Passport & Plate - Passport and Plate: Jerk Chicken

Jamaica | Wednesday, March 4, 2015 | 4 photos

Ingredients
Ingredients:

Traditional

-2 tablespoons of Allspice
-1 teaspoon of Thyme, fresh
-1 teaspoon fresh Garlic (or 1 clove)
-1/2 teaspoon of Salt
-1/2 Yellow Onion Chopped
-5 Springs of Scallion/Green onion chopped
-1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper, remove the seeds and dice (wash your hands before touching anything else)
-1 thumb of fresh Ginger, peel skin and dice
-1 tablespoon of Soy Sauce (dark)
-1 tablespoon of Brown Sugar
-1 tablespoon of Olive oil
- 4 to 6 pieces of Chicken parts
-1 bottle of White Vinegar

Untraditional (Substitutions I used)

-2 tablespoons of Peppercorn, crush with mortar and pedestal
-1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
-1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon (1/4 if you dislike cinnamon)
-1/4 Ground Black pepper
-1 teaspoon of Thyme dried
-1 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
-1/2 teaspoon of Salt
-1/2 Yellow Onion Chopped
-2 Thai Chili Peppers, remove the seeds and dice (wash your hands before touching anything else)
-1 thumb of fresh Ginger, peel skin and dice
-1 tablespoon of Soy Sauce (dark)
-1 tablespoon of Brown Sugar
-1 tablespoon of Olive oil
- 4 to 6 pieces of Chicken parts
-1 bottle of White Vinegar

 

How to prepare this recipe
Step 1: Clean the skin and fat off the chicken pieces. Wash them in a bowl in the sink with the white vinegar diluted in water. Pat dry and put aside.

Step 2: **30minutes before taking marinaded meat from the fridge (untraditional) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. If using a gas stove use your judgement. (traditional) Prepare the grill outside with your coals and wood of choice.

Step 3: In a clean bowl mix together the oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers. Mix well.

Step 4: Add remaining spices and mix well.

Step 5: Place chicken in bowl with jerk marinade. Use your clean hands to massage the marinade over the chicken.

Step 6: Wash your hands then place a cover over bowel or saran wrap. Place in fridge for 2 to 24 hours.

Step7: If using oven, place chicken on fold lined baking sheet. Bake for 35-45 minutes turning the chicken half way through. For extra dark skin, pan sear the meat for 5 minutes each side before baking.

For grilling monitor the meat ensuring the inside is white and no traces of pink present before serving.

 

The story behind this recipe
As the smoke filed the air and soaked my clothes, I could feel bits of ash landing on my eyebrows, eyelashes and face. The eagerness to taste the succulent juicy grilled meat could only be contained by taking sips of Kola Champagne and munching on cornmeal festival. Surrounded by family and friends, I sat at an outdoor table at a beautiful restaurant awaiting a typical late night Jamaican meal of Jerk Chicken and festival. I couldn’t be happier to be spending the holiday season with my family abroad in my mothers native country. Everything about that night oozed with laughter, gratitude, happy memories and a cool breeze that softly kissed my skin. I don’t know what it is about this delectable spiced meat that brings to mind so many memories of Jamaica and sunshine but it is a staple that can transform any at home cook to a bona fide Jamaican chef. Well maybe that’s just how I describe myself in my head. As someone currently living as a volunteer in sub-Saharan Africa for the next two years, I constantly get knocked over with pangs of homesickness that calls for a delicious home cooked meal prepared by mom as the cure. So I armed myself with the task of making the marinade from scratch in efforts to cure my homesickness myself! But how on earth will this work, two of the main ingredients are not available where I currently live? Scotch bonnet peppers and allspice/pimento. I relied on my nose and taste buds to create suitable substitutes for my dish. Thai Chilis for Scotch Bonnet peppers and crushed peppercorns, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves for the Allspice. Out of fear of causing a bush fire and burning down my volunteer house, I decided to take the safer option of cooking the meat in the oven versus grilling outside. I was really surprised that the substitutions actually pulled their weight and offered and interesting twist to a familiar taste. It goes to show that with a little ingenuity you can recreate any childhood dish no matter where you are in the world!