Oven Baked Jerk Chicken

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.

Course Main

Cuisine Caribbean

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 1

Total Time 3

Servings

Calories 304kcal

Author Imma

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.

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.

Nutrition