Jerk chicken | Caribbean, Spice, Marination (2024)

FAQs

What is jerk chicken seasoning made of? ›

Jerk seasoning is a blend of garlic powder or granules, onion powder, dried thyme, ground allspice, ground ginger, cayenne pepper, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, smoked paprika, ground cloves, ground white pepper, and dark brown sugar.

What is the difference between jerk seasoning and jerk marinade? Jerk seasoning is a dry spice blend and a jerk marinade comes in a liquid form. The spice blend is meant to be rubbed into your meat of choice and left in the fridge overnight before grilling. The marinade is a quicker version of the spice blend.

Blend on high speed until the marinade is mostly smooth. Place the chicken in a shallow bowl or baking dish and pour the jerk chicken marinade over the top. Mix it around a little so that all the chicken is coated in the marinade then let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes – or up to 24 hours in your fridge.

It's wonderfully spicy, smoky, and fragrant — everything you want jerk chicken to be. But what puts this one above all others? The key is including five-spice powder in the marinade, a Chinese spice blend made of cinnamon, fennel seed, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise.

That being said, if you are unable to find specific ingredients, take a Cajun Seasoning and add the following spices: allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.

Is jerk seasoning the same as Cajun? No, it isn't. Cajun seasoning is mainly herbs and hot pepper. Jerk seasoning enjoys spices such as allspice, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg that you won't find in Cajun mixes.

In our experience if you refrigerate the marinade, the heat from the peppers rapidly diminishes within a month or so. If you 'd prefer a flavorful, but mild, jerk marinade then by all means refrigerate. Otherwise, just keep the bottle at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. It will keep for several months.

Jerk marinade can be wet or dry, and usually has pimento (all spice), scotch bonnet peppers, thyme, and a mixture of different herbs and spices.

Jerk chicken gets its distinguishable flavor from spices that are native to the island of Jamaica. Spices like the scotch bonnet pepper give jerk chicken its spicy kick. Other spices that are incorporated into a jerk recipe are allspice, ginger, garlic and thyme.

Is Jerk Chicken healthy? Yes, this spice-rich dish is loaded with nutrients and vitamins from the natural and whole ingredients used in its marinade.

What goes well with Jerk Chicken? ›

Heat Levels: Five scotch bonnet peppers will give you jerk chicken with a kick (I love spicy food). While eight scotch bonnet peppers will give you super spicy jerk chicken. Heat enthusiasts should 6-8 scotch bonnet peppers.

Jerk chicken is believed to have been conceived when the Maroons introduced African meat cooking techniques to Jamaica which were combined with native Jamaican ingredients and seasonings used by the Arawak Indians.

Pimento, an essential part of the flavoring, seasoning, and cooking process for authentic jerk, is not used when cooking pan chicken, which lacks the smoky woody sweetness that pimento imparts. Pan chicken is still, however, highly flavorful, with a hint of smoke and a nice char from the coal drum.

jerk chicken, a spicy grilled-meat dish mostly associated with Jamaica but common throughout the Caribbean.

Jerk sauce contains paprika and allspice for antioxidants, cayenne pepper for reducing blood pressure, garlic for immune boosting, nutmeg to aid in digestion and sleep, cinnamon for lowering blood sugar and cholesterol, vitamin C from citrus plus many more!

The warm, earthy spices (nutmeg, cumin, allspice and cinnamon) are roused by the aromatic heft of ginger and garlic, and brightened by the punch of citrus. And at the heart is heat—in this case from piquant habanero chilies. These dynamic and nuanced flavors work well with a multitude of ingredients.

Be forewarned, if you cannot handle spicy-hot foods, jerk may not be for you. It has a real kick, that doesn't really come in levels. While some sauces come in levels, such as mild, medium or hot, jerk is one of those take it or leave it, kickers. It's really spicy.

Jamaicans are proud of their trademark jerk seasoning, also known as Caribbean seasoning. Jerk is a method of cooking and seasoning meat that can be traced to the Arawak indigenous tribe that was living in Jamaica in the late 1400s.