If you’re looking for the bold flavors of a good Caribbean Jerk Chicken, especially on a week-night when you’re just not in the mood for too much work in the kitchen – I got the perfect recipe for you. I call this my ‘cheat’ pineapple jerk chicken recipe and it’s requires little work and not too many ingredients. Now you will see me use prepackaged jerk seasoning, but if you’d like to make yours from scratch, check out my recipe for that @ Recipe Index!
You’ll Need…
3 heaping tablespoon jerk seasoning (your fav)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (diced)
4 cloves garlic (diced)
1 can pineapple (chunky)
3 scallions (chopped)
6-8 sprigs thyme
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 whole chicken (about 5 lbs total)
Note: I used two whole chicken which I cut into pieces. But you’re free to use any cut of chicken you like.
This is insanely simple. Add all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Try to bruise the thyme so it can release it’s flavor oils.
Pour the marinade over the prepared chicken (I left the skin on, but removed all the fat I could find as the skin will help to protect the chicken from going dry in the oven). Allow this to marinate for at least 2 hours. That said, I didn’t wait. I went directly into a preheated 410 F oven on the middle rack. You’ll notice that I didn’t add any salt to the marinade, that’s because the store-bought seasoning will already have salt, plus I went in with soy sauce. That said, feel free to add a bit of salt if you want.
Roasted uncovered on the middle rack in the oven for 1 hr and 15 mins and you’re left with an amazing pineapple jerk chicken to enjoy. Be sure to line your roasting pan with foil so clean-up is easy.
Couple things.. if you find that the chicken isn’t as golden as you’d like it, you can always turn on the broil setting for a couple minutes. Also, depending on the size of your chicken pieces, it may take a bit longer to cook (larger pieces).
Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2
I just made this tonight and gave it an A+ ! The combination of spicy jerk and pineapple-orange is fantastic (and a reason why I chose to make this recipe over others I looked at).
Just two things I would add. First, double the marinade and take the other half and warm it on the stove and use it for a dipping sauce. It is so good! Second, when the chicken was done I put it on the grill for a few minutes on each side to make the skin crispy and more smoky in flavor. This is definitely a winner. Thanks for sharing!
This was easy to make and so good, happpy I took the chance to make it! Thanks!!
I made this on Sunday (October 21st), and this was absolutely delicious.
I am sharing this recipe with everybody I know!!!!