Jamaican Jerk Chicken Skewers Recipe - Redolent with the flavors of jerk seasoning, (allspice, fresh thyme, Scotch bonnet peppers or habaneros), these chicken skewers bring the vibrant flavors of the Caribbean to your grill.
We'll get into the origins of Jerk and share this chicken skewer recipe. You can find some really in-depth grilling tips to help elevate your performance in your outdoor kitchens also!
One of the great things about summer is having herbs growing in the garden, like fresh thyme. It was the only excuse that I needed to make this delicious marinade and jerk chicken recipe.
Don't miss out on grilling season! The next time that you're feeling the call of the open flame, make sure to try out our grilling recipes! The chicken caprese burger is an original take on the classic, and I'm kind of famous for my chicken wings!
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What You're Going to Need!
- Fresh Thyme - this is one of those indigenous ingredients that makes a huge difference. You can use dry, but it's not quite the same. The nice thing is that the ingredients for the wet marinade are all getting blended, so picking the thyme is not really needed, unless the stems are very thick and woody.
- Onion - we are using yellow onion here, as we are using some red onion on the skewers themselves.
- Oil - you can use canola oil, vegetable oil, or even olive oil. The purpose of this ingredient is to help the oil soluble ingredients, (like the garlic and peppers), better coat and season the chicken.
- Lime Juice - when I worked in a Jamaican kitchen, one of the things that I had to learn was that limes are typically called lemons!
- Bay Leaves - these are part of the cooking process, as the steam they produce is very similar to green pimento wood.
- Green Onions - this type of onion is more plentiful in the islands than others, so they need to be included, and can even be used as the only onion in the recipe.
- Ground Allspice - a very important crop in Jamaica, accounting for most of the world's supply, therefore essential to jerk seasoning.
- Habanero Peppers - the most traditional thing here would be Scotch bonnet peppers, but Scotch bonnets are not easily found here in Colorado, (as well as many places), and the flavor is very similar, although the habanero peppers are a bit hotter.
- Garlic - fresh garlic is practically always a great thing, right?
- Black pepper - ground fresh
- Brown Sugar - in my experience working in several Caribbean restaurants, I never saw any white sugar.
- Fresh Ginger - when making jerk chicken marinade, you absolutely can't use dry ginger.
- Nutmeg - this is my favorite baking spice to use in savory foods. Many recipes I've seen involve a thorough raid of the spice rack, I don't suggest this.
- Soy sauce - this is the source of salt and umami in this marinade/seasoning/sauce.
- Whole Allspice - also part of the cooking process. It's totally optional, but using them to smoke the chicken creates a nice flavor note.
- Chicken Thighs (not shown) - we like thighs for this recipe, as they have enough fat to stand up to the aggressive seasoning without being dry. They were cut into one inch pieces.
- Red Pepper (not shown) - we cut up some medium red bell peppers to skewer, also into one inch pieces.
- Red Onion (not shown) - also for the skewers.
See recipe card for quantities.
Recipe
Jerk Chicken Kabobs Recipe
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 pair of single use gloves optional
- 1 Blender or food processor
- 1 Grill gas, pellet, or charcoal
- 1 tongs
- 8-10 skewers 12 inch, wooden, bamboo, or metal
- 1 digital probe thermometer
Ingredients
Skewers
- 1 each large red bell pepper
- 1 each large red onion
- 3 lb. chicken thighs boneless and skinless
Marinade
- 4 oz. yellow onion 1 inch dice
- 4 each green onion chopped into 4 pieces each
- ¼ cup lime juice freshly squezzed
- ½ oz. fresh thyme weight with stems
- 2 each habanero peppers or 5 Scotch bonnets if available, stems removed.
- 1 Tbsp. ground allspice
- 2 oz. fresh ginger root unpeeled. cut into ½ inch chunks
- ½ cup dark soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 2 tsp. black pepper
- 5 each large garlic cloves peeled
- ¼ cup oil vegetable or olive, not extra virgin
Barbecue
- 12-18 each bay leaves soaked in cold water for at least one hour, optional
- ⅓ cup whole allspice berries optional
Instructions
Make marinade
- Place all marinade ingredients into blender or food procesor.
- Blend until well pureed.
- Place all chicken into the marinade and stir until well coated.
- Wrap tightly and store refrigerated for at least 4 hours, overnight is ideal.
Assembly of Skewers
- If using wood or bamboo skewers, soak for a minimum of one hour in cold water.
- Cut the chicken into one inch chunks.
- Thread chicken chunks, red onion, and bell pepper onto the skewers, alternating to create a uniform and attractive order.
Barbecuing
- Create a small open ended pouch from aluminum foil and place allspice berries into it.
- Cover the side of the grill that will be for indirect heat with foil, and lay the bay leaves on it in an even single layer.
- Arrange the grill so that the allspice pouch sits on top of the direct heat, and begin heating the grill with the lid closed.
- Once the grill temperature is roughly 375 to 400F, place the chicken skewers on top of the bay leaves and close the grill.
- Maintain the heat as evenly as possible for about one hour, until the chicken reads around 145F in the middle.
- Remove the kebabs from the low heat side of the grill and transfer them to the direct heat to char and finish.
- Once the chicken is reading 165F in the middle and the skewers are pleasantly charred, remove and serve.
Directions
- Combine all of the marinade ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Grind until well pureed, as you see in this large bowl.
2. Place chicken into the marinade, making sure that it is all evenly and well coated. Marinate for at least 4 hours. Overnight is recommended, Do not let it go longer than 24 hours, or it will start to make the chicken dry out.
3. Assemble the kabobs as shown. Thread chicken pieces through the pre-soaked wooden skewers, (or metal skewers, if you have them), interspersed with the red onion and bell pepper.
4. This is how I set up our gas grill for grilling, (a charcoal grill would just need the hot coals to be all on the left side), The allspice berries are in a foil packet over the direct heat to create smoke. The foil covered side is covered with a layer of bay leaves to create some steam which will flavor the chicken with a similar profile as allspice wood.
5. Cover grill and start the direct heat side on medium heat until it registers around 375F. The allspice will start to smoke, and the bay leaves start to steam.
6. Rest the chicken on top of the bay leaves. Keep the grill covered in order to slow cook and smoke. The cook time should be about an hour. The internal temperature of the chicken pieces needs to get to around 145F. Once that temp is achieved, turn the hot side of the grill to high heat. Move the chicken skewers over, and finish until charred and at 165F interior temp.
Chef Tips
This dish is best served with Island fare, like pigeon peas and coconut rice and fried Johnny cakes.
I like to make an extra amount of the marinade, and save it as a condiment, jerk sauce. If you don't want to stir it every time you use it, bring it to a boil over high heat on the stove and thicken it with a bit of cornstarch and water slurry.
What is "Jerk" Anyway?
There are so many answers to this question! It's not just jerk sauce, jerk seasoning, or jerk marinade, but it's actually all of those things, and a bit more.
The history and origin of jerk are intertwined with another, much larger story, barbecue. I could write an entire book on this subject, but I'll do my best to be brief and precise. Suffice to say that the practice of cooking meat over an open flame by means of a frame of green wood was the first proper definition of barbecue. Proper jerk is one of the last examples of this particular cooking tradition.
The term "jerk" comes from an old Spanish word for dried meat, hence "jerky" is also derived from this origin.
Jerk seasoning is at the center of this culinary practice, and it is made from plentiful Jamaican indigenous ingredients, allspice, thyme, onions, Scotch bonnet peppers, and ginger. From this blend of seasonings, a marinade is made. This marinade, like many in barbecue practices, is used as a "mopping sauce", and quite often as a finishing sauce also.
For the most authenticity, the cooking itself has to be considered. The wood from the pimento, (allspice), tree is burned for fuel, contributing a very specific flavor. Some very traditional jerk recipes also call for using the greenest allspice wood to form the grilling surface itself, also lending more unique aroma and taste. A very close resemblance to this cooking method can be achieved by using the method described in the recipe card below, as sourcing pimento wood is problematic, and expensive.
Creating jerk from scratch creates a unique and beautiful culinary creation that is definitely worth the effort.
A side note about Jamaican recipes in general; recipes, as we understand them outside of the Caribbean, are basically non-existent. This makes it impossible to ever say that any recipe is the right one, but you also can't say that you have it wrong either! This is why you'll notice that the "variations" section of this post is somewhat vast.
Substitutions & Variations
This recipe is very adaptable and versatile! When using tamari soy sauce, these jerk chicken kebabs are gluten free. They are also low carb and nut free.
- Vegetarian/Vegan - instead of chicken, just skewer your favorite vegetables, (squash, tomato, sweet potato).
- Heat Level - The heat of the jerk chicken all depends on the amount of chilies in the recipe. Just add more or less to suit your desired spice level, or even substitute a less spicy chile, like jalapeno.
- Type of Meat - We like chicken thighs, but boneless skinless chicken breasts work just fine. Pork loin, lamb, or even shrimp are also delish!!
- Party Size - Grilling these in smaller portions ahead of time and then warming them in the oven make for easy entertaining make-ahead apps.
- Other Recipe "Mods" - As I mentioned earlier in the "What is Jerk Anyway?", section, practically no two Jamaican recipes are alike. Apple cider vinegar instead of lime juice, is fine. Additional ingredients like cinnamon or clove, fresh pineapple, and the addition of rosemary are all things that I've seen with fantastic results.
Storage & Helpful Hints
Feel free to store marinated chicken for up to 24 hours under refrigeration. After any longer than that, the texture of the finished product will suffer, as the marinade will start to leach too much moisture from it.
Finished jerk chicken kebabs can be held in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in your refrigerator for up to 4 days. We don't suggest freezing.If using bamboo skewers, like we did, remember that wood will burn on the grill unless you soak them for an hour or two in water beforehand.
Whenever working with hot peppers, be careful! Use gloves to handle or process them, and ALSO wash your hands immediately after. Trust me, you don't want to accidently touch any part of your body after handling habaneros or Scotch bonnets!
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Jason Miller says
Perfect level of spice!