Oven Baked Jerk Chicken Recipe – Crispy, moist, flavorful chicken smothered in spicy jerk sauce is easy to make and a real taste bud explosion! Enjoy a Caribbean vacation right out of your oven. 😎
I love jerk chicken oven-baked, but then who doesn’t? Most people who travel to the Caribbean say it is the highlight of their trip. Well, second to coconut rum drinks, of course. 😜
This meal comes together super fast, especially after you have all the ingredients together, which makes it a great weeknight meal everyone can get excited about. I marinate jerk chicken overnight in the refrigerator. It saves me time the next day, and it allows the flavors to come together beautifully.
Content…How Spicy Is It? |
How Spicy Is Jamaican Jerk Chicken?
If you’ve never had the opportunity to try jerk chicken before, it’s a Jamaican dish popular throughout the Caribbean. Traditionally, it is a super spicy dish. However, you can adjust the ingredients to turn down the heat.
This particular recipe is very mild if you leave out the scotch bonnet. But if you’re a heat seeker like me, just keep the scotch bonnet as per the recipe. For those of you who enjoy next-level spicy dishes, add as much hot pepper as you can handle. ❤️🔥
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken – I love making this with chicken legs, but you can use any chicken cuts you have on hand. Just adjust the cooking time for the cut you use. And while leaving the chicken skin on is optional, it crisps up beautifully for extra decadence.
- Lemon or Lime – Before marinating the chicken, I rub it down with lemon or lime juice. It adds flavor and helps the dry seasoning stick to the chicken.
- Creole Seasoning – Before marinating, but after the lemon juice, I give the chicken a good coating of Creole seasoning. It adds a little more heat and an extra flavor layer to the dish as a whole.
- Jerk Marinade Ingredients – Jerk sauce has a long list of ingredients that includes scotch bonnet, garlic, onion, scallions, fresh thyme, fresh ginger, cinnamon, allspice, white pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, brown sugar, bouillon powder, soy sauce, and pineapple juice. Trust the process here; the final product tastes so amazing you’ll be glad you put in the work. (Plus, homemade jerk sauce? That’s just impressive! 👏)
How to Oven-Bake Jerk Chicken
Prep the Chicken and Make the Marinade
- Trim chicken of any excess fat and pat dry with a cloth or paper napkin.
- Rub each piece down with lemon and creole seasoning, plus salt and pepper if you desire.
- Heat oil in a sauté pan or skillet set to medium heat. Then, add the scotch bonnet pepper and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until it gets nice and browned.
- Spices – Add the nutmeg, brown sugar, allspice, and cinnamon. Keep stirring until the sugar melts and the mixture starts to clump together.
- Cool – Take it off the heat and let it cool.
- Blend – Place the mixture in a food processor or blender. Add the thyme, white pepper, ginger, green onions, soy sauce, bouillon powder, onion, and pineapple juice. Pulse for about 30 seconds until blended.
- Marinate – Drench the chicken with jerk marinade in a ziplock bag or another airtight container. Chill it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
Bake the Jerk Chicken
- Preheat your oven to 425℉ (220℃). Line your baking pan with foil, then top it with a wire rack.
- Drain – Remove chicken from the jerk marinade and let any excess drip off. Reserve the marinade.
- Place the chicken legs in a single layer on the wire rack. While the chicken legs bake, the fat will drip to the bottom of the pan for crispier skin.
- Bake the chicken legs until cooked through and the skin is crispy, for 45-50 minutes. Rotate the chicken halfway through, around the 20-minute mark.
- Jerk Sauce – In a small saucepan, simmer the remaining jerk marinade for about 7 minutes to cook it. You can serve the jerk sauce on the side or drizzle it directly over the cooked chicken.
Recipe Variations
- Add fresh pineapple. Add chunks of fresh pineapple to the marinade and then bake them alongside the chicken for an extra fresh and tangy twist on your baked jerk chicken recipe.
- Make chicken skewers! For a fun party version of this dish, thread chicken breast onto skewers. You can marinate the meat on the skewers and then bake them in the oven as directed; just know they’ll cook a lot quicker.
- Coconut jerk chicken. Add shredded coconut and coconut milk to your jerk marinade for a creamy, tropical take on this Caribbean classic.
- Wings elevated. Use the same recipe for oven-baked jerk chicken wings for your next game-day event.
Tips and Tricks
- Try not to touch the jerk marinade with your hands because it is extremely spicy hot. If possible, use gloves. You don’t want to get this stuff into your eyes accidentally! 😭
- Give it plenty of time to marinate. The longer you marinate the chicken, the deeper the flavors will penetrate. Overnight marination is ideal.
- Use a meat thermometer to check doneness. It’s the best way to make sure your chicken is fully cooked and to avoid overcooking it to the point of drying it out. 🙅🏿♀️
Make-Ahead Instructions
To make this dish ahead of time, simply follow the recipe and store the baked chicken drenched in the jerk sauce in an airtight container in the fridge.
To reheat it, use the microwave or dump those saucy legs in an oven-safe dish and reheat them at low heat for about 15 minutes. Take them out as soon as they’re heated through to keep them from drying out. You can also freeze this dish for up to three months. Thaw the chicken in the fridge the night before you want to serve it.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve this dish with plenty of tasty sides as soon as it comes out of the oven! Refrigerate leftover jerk chicken for 3-5 days in an airtight container. Or freeze them for up to 3 months.
What Goes With Oven Baked Jerk Chicken
I love me some baked jerk chicken with a hearty helping of Caribbean rice and beans. However, it goes great with Mexican rice, which you can bake at the same time. I like to add some baked plantains to the menu as well, along with a tall, cool glass of sorrel drink.
More Jammin’ Jamaican Recipes to Try
Oven Baked Jerk Chicken
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Ingredients
- 1 lime or lemon
- 8 chicken legs or a 2½-3 pound (1-1.5k) chicken, cut up
- 2 teaspoons (8-9g) jerk seasoning replace with salt and pepper or chicken spice
- 1 or more scotch bonnet or habanero
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon allspice, coarsely ground
- ½ teaspoon white pepper, coarsely ground
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 medium scallions, chopped
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼-½ cup pineapple juice or water
- 1 tablespoon bouillon powder (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Trim chicken of excess fat and pat dry with a cloth or paper towel. Rub with lemon, 2 teaspoons jerk seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat oil in a skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Then add scotch bonnet pepper and garlic, and sauté until browned, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the nutmeg, brown sugar, allspice, and cinnamon, and continue stirring until the sugar melts and the mixture starts to clump together.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool.
- Place the mixture in a food processor or blender, add the thyme, white pepper, ginger, green onions, soy sauce, bouillon powder, onion, and pineapple juice, and pulse for about 30 seconds until well blended.
- Drench the chicken with jerk marinate, place in a ziplock bag, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Avoid touching the jerk blend with your hands because it's extremely spicy hot (use gloves if possible).
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425℉ (220℃). Remove the chicken from the jerk marinade and drain the excess marinade. Reserve the marinade.
- Line a baking pan with foil, and top with a wire rack. Arrange chicken legs in a single layer. While the chicken legs are baking, the fat will slowly drip to the bottom of the baking pan.
- Bake chicken legs until cooked through and the skin is crispy, 45-50 minutes. Rotate the chicken halfway through, roughly 20 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, simmer the remaining jerk marinade along with the extra from the chicken for about 7 minutes. Serve the chicken with the marinade on the side or drizzle it on the chicken, and serve with Caribbean rice and beans.
Tips & Notes:
- Avoid touching the jerk marinade with your hands because it is extremely spicy. If possible, use gloves. You don’t want to get this stuff into your eyes accidentally!
- Give it plenty of time to marinate. The longer you marinate the chicken, the deeper the flavors will penetrate. Overnight marination is ideal.
- Use a meat thermometer to check doneness. It’s the best way to make sure your chicken is fully cooked and to avoid overcooking it to the point of drying it out.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Pearl says
Hi. Will garlic paste and ginger paste be ok instead of the fresh ginger and garlic?
Immaculate Bites says
Yes, that’s okay Pearl.
Andrew says
Great recipe
Arya says
love your website
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks
menelek wilson says
hi imma i’m menelek a young boy who always loved delicious foods i grew up in town with my father and my mother was from the country side, and there was always a difference in cooking when i went out to visit my mom and that different was the raw flavors that they grew up on cooking. i’ve been following and reading a lot of recipes from your page about 2 yrs now and always was reluctant on trying but i finally did and it was fantastic i did this recipe with the trinidad macaroni pie
imma africanbites says
Hi, Menelek. I’m glad you finally took the step in making this. And I’m glad you like it as much as I do.
Sheema says
Hiya Imma! Well, you didn’t disappoint again…. I made this last night for company and it was out of this world!! So moist and flavourful !! Everyone loved it and we can’t wait for leftovers for easy dinner tonight!
Thank you so much for fulfilling my tastebuds with these delicious Caribbean delights!!
With much gratitude your newest fan,
Chef Sheem
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome!!! Now I want to have some :)! Glad you loved this one too, Chef Sheem. Thanks for the feedback :).
Jamie Johnson says
Instead of Chicken legs, can I use Chicken breasts as a substitute?
ImmaculateBites says
You sure can.
Connie says
Thank you so much for this lovely recipe!
imma africanbites says
You’re always welcome, Connie! Hope you’ll also try some of my other recipes. Enjoy!
Lisa says
I am soooo excited about this recipe. Sunday can’t arrive soon enough!!!!
Kia88 says
Love love love only had limited time so marinated 4 hours next time will marinate over night as I do all my meats to maximal flavor came out tasty with flavor an not just heat most recipes give u the heat. But lack the flavor will Be a go to may even experiment with mango an or fresh pineapple as didn’t have white pepper my hubby looked at it an said that’s looks like it’s gonna be good i after adding the remaining dripping along with the extra marinate I put it into the broiler to to give it slight crispness did the job now we are all mad we only had a small pk of chicken will be making this again real soon an let’s just say jerk is my favorite chicken I will never ever buy it again will be making them mArinade the night before as well An maybe gifting some
ImmaculateBites says
YESS! You can’t beat Homemade! Thank you so much!!!
Jon says
Excellent recipe! I Forgot to buy green onions so I used a shallot instead. And I’m lazy so I added the lime juice and creole spice to the marinade. Made two versions – one with no scotch bonnet for my wife and younger son, the other with lots of scotch bonnet for my older son and me. Both came out great! Caribbean Rice and Beans was a winner too.
ImmaculateBites says
Fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
B $ says
If using bone in chicken breast, what temp do you recommend?
ImmaculateBites says
I would go with the same temperature – but cook it for a shorter time- cause chicken breast dries up pretty quickly.
Ruth says
Could you substitute ground beef uncross recipe?
ImmaculateBites says
Didn’t quite get the question. Do you mean replacing the chicken with beef?
Jarad says
Just made this with 2 habaneros instead of one… perfect marinade!
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thank you so much Jarad!!!
Patience says
Another excellent recipe Imma. Thanks. I Always used the jerk marinade in the jar, but no more. I used all the ingredient you listed except the pineapple juice and fresh thyme which I didn’t have at home, so I used water and dried thyme. I also used the light brown sugar, because that was what I had at home. It came out really great, and very spicy ( used 3 scotch bonnet), so I can imagine the flavour when I use the pineapple juice and fresh thyme next time I make it. What I love about your recipes is that, you use most of the ingredients and spices most of us already have in our pantry. Thanks again for sharing, and I look forward to making more of your recipes.
Corey says
Great afternoon. I will be trying your recipe but I have a question concerning the scotch bonnet pepper. Before adding do I cut, slice etc.? And how many would you recommend for a medium to hot spice? Thanks in advance.
Donna says
I wondered this too
ImmaculateBites says
The scotch bonnet peppers are used whole in this recipe. Usually, scotch bonnet peppers are on the very hot end of the spectrum. Unless you have a high spice/heat tolerance, I would recommend starting with just one or two. Just throw them in whole. Happy cooking!
Atiyah Rahman-Anderson says
Can I use light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar?
ImmaculateBites says
You sure can.