Chicken Breasts with Jerk Marinade
Jerk is an incredibly delicious Jamaican conglomeration of many spices and other seasonings—never trust a jerk recipe that contains just a few ingredients. The word probably comes from the Peruvian one that evolved into jerky, also a meat dish cooked over fire. Here’s the way we make jerk chicken at Tommy Bahama, with an outdoor grilling alternative.
Makes 6 servings
Jerk Seasoning (Makes about 3 Tbsp)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp granulated onion
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp granulated garlic
¼ tsp ground cloves
Marinade
1½ tsp whole allspice
6 green onions, white and green parts, coarsely chopped
¼ cup/30 g peeled and coarsely chopped fresh ginger
¼ cup/60 ml fresh lime juice
¼ cup/60 ml malt or cider vinegar
¼ cup/60 ml Japanese soy sauce
8 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tsp seeded and minced jalapeño chiles
1 tsp seeded and minced habanero or Scotch bonnet chile
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp molasses (not blackstrap)
1 tsp coarsely chopped fresh thyme
3/4 tsp dry mustard
3/4 tsp Dry Jerk Seasoning (see below) or commercial jerk seasoning
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp kosher salt
Chicken
6 chicken breast halves with skin and bone, about 10 oz/280 g each
1 Tbsp Dry Jerk Seasoning (see below) or commercial jerk seasoning
½ cup/120 ml reduced-sodium chicken broth