What is Jerk Chicken?

Chicken marinated in scallion, thyme, allspice, and Scotch bonnet, grilled low and smoky.

Where does Jerk Chicken come from?

Jerk Chicken is a Jamaican dish from Kingston (Surrey), Jamaica.

Can Jerk Chicken be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Jerk Chicken recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Jerk Chicken take to make?

About 65 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 45 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Recipe

Name: Jerk Chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Jamaican
Ingredients: 4 chicken leg quarters; 6 scallions; 2–3 Scotch bonnet peppers; 2 tbsp leaves fresh thyme; 1.5 tbsp ground allspice (pimento); 5 cloves garlic; 1-inch piece fresh ginger; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 3 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp lime juice; 1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon and nutmeg

North America → 🇯🇲 Jamaica → Kingston (Surrey)

Jerk Chicken

Jamaican · medium · serves 4

prep 20 min · cook 45 min

~283 cal · 36g protein · 13g carbs · 8g fat (estimated, per serving)

🍽️

Charred jerk chicken quarters with lime on a wooden board

🇯🇲 Kingston (Surrey)

Jerk technique traces to the Maroons, escaped enslaved Africans who slow-smoked wild pork over pimento wood in Jamaica's Blue Mountains, hidden from view. The pimento (allspice) tree is the soul of it — wood, leaves, and berries all season the fire.

Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 4 —

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4 chicken leg quarters

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6 scallions

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2–3 Scotch bonnet peppers

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2 tbsp leaves fresh thyme

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1.5 tbsp ground allspice (pimento)

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5 cloves garlic

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1-inch piece fresh ginger

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2 tbsp brown sugar

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3 tbsp soy sauce

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2 tbsp lime juice

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1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon and nutmeg

Instructions

Blend everything except the chicken into a thick, dark-green marinade.

Slash the chicken to the bone and massage the marinade deep in. Rest overnight if you can, 2 hours minimum.

Set up a grill for indirect medium heat (or oven at 375°F). Pimento or hickory chips earn bonus authenticity.

Grill skin-up over the cool side, covered, about 35 minutes, then finish over the flames until charred in spots and cooked through.

Rest 5 minutes, chop through the bone Kingston-style, and squeeze lime over. Serve with rice and peas.

Maroon smoke-pit tradition, Kingston street style.

Ratings & reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to cook it.

🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Kingston (Surrey). Home of jerk pits scented with pimento wood and Scotch bonnet.

🗺️

Jamaica. Island cooking with a fire all its own.

🌍

North America. A collision of Indigenous, colonial, and immigrant tables.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

👩‍🍳

Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →