Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Jamaican Jerk Chicken is traditionally slow cooked over a live fire to produce a tender bird with a satisfyingly complex smokey and spicy flavor. This recipe adapts the traditional recipe to speed up the cooking time for frequent at-home use, while still maintaining a similar spicy taste. Be careful of the heat in this recipe. Scotch Bonnet peppers or Habanero peppers are spicy! Eliminate the quantity of peppers, or discard the seeds before blitzing, if you are sensitive to spicy foods.

Cuisine

Caribbean, Jamaican

Course

Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch

Difficulty

Medium

Duration

2 Hours 35 Minutes - 2 Hours 44 Minutes

Diet

Dairy Free, Gluten Free

Cooking Technique

Air Fry

Keywords

1 bunch scallions, 1 shallot, 2 hours 35 minutes - 2 hours 44 minutes, 2 limes, 2-inches ginger, 4 servings, 5-6 chicken drumsticks, 6 garlic cloves, air fry, appetizer, bay leaves, bone-in and skin-on, caribbean, chicken drumsticks, chicken thighs, cook 20 min, cup white vinegar, dairy free, dark brown sugar, dinner, for serving, fresh thyme leaves, freshly grated nutmeg, gluten free, ground, ground allspice, ground black pepper, habaneros, Instant Pot Culinary Team, jamaican, jamaican food, large limes, lunch, medium, prep 15 min, ripe plantains, roughly chopped, salt, sliced ½ inch on bias, soy sauce, spicy chicken, stems removed, vegetable oil, zested and juiced

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

20 min

Servings

4 Servings

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
5-6 chicken drumsticks
2 limes, for serving
4-5 scotch bonnet peppers or habaneros, stems removed
1 bunch scallions, roughly chopped
2-inches ginger, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 shallot, roughly chopped
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp ground allspice
1 tbsp bay leaves, ground
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 large limes, zested and juiced
¼ cup white vinegar
½ vegetable oil
2 ripe plantains, sliced ½ inch on bias
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

Combine all marinade ingredients in a food processor. Blitz on high speed until a thick paste has formed. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. To note: scotch bonnet peppers are spicy. To reduce the heat, remove the seeds before blending into the marinade, or reduce the quantity of peppers.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the chicken thighs and drumsticks with the marinade, ensuring every piece is thoroughly coated.
Cover with plastic wrap and marinade in the fridge for 2-4 Hours.
Meanwhile, toss the plantain wedges with vegetable oil.
Preheat the left-side of the Instant Versazone on Air Fry at 375°F for 20 Minutes, and the right-side on Air Fry at 385°F for 11 Minutes.
Place chicken on the left side, careful not to crowd the basket. Dollop extra marinade on top. Do not rotate chicken in the air fryer throughout cooking.
Place plantains on the right side, careful not to crowd the basket. Flip the plantains after 6-7 Minutes.
Continue cooking in batches until all chicken and plantains are finished.
Serve Jerk Chicken warm with lime wedges. Enjoy!