Sink your teeth into this Baked Jerk Chicken recipe. It is tender, flavorful, and finger-lickin’ good!
This easy oven-baked jerk chicken certainly hits the spot. It’s so simple and only takes a few minutes to prep; the rest of the magic happens in the oven. It’s what I like to call a “set it and forget it” one-pot dish, which I love!
If you love a good baked chicken recipe like I do then you have to check out my Oven Baked Popcorn Chicken, and Oven Baked Chicken Taquitos.
Table of Contents
What is Jerk Chicken?
Jerk Chicken is a traditional Jamaican dish that involves marinating chicken in a blend of spices and seasonings, including allspice, thyme, Scotch bonnet peppers, garlic, and ginger. The chicken is typically cooked on the grill over long sticks of pimento wood or smoked to achieve a unique, smoky flavor, which pairs perfectly with these traditional sides.
This cooking method, known as “jerking,” imparts a spicy, tangy, and aromatic profile to the meat, making it a beloved staple in Caribbean cuisine. Jerk Chicken is known for its bold flavors and is often served with rice, peas, and various tropical side dishes.
Why We Love This Oven-Baked Jerk Chicken
- This Baked Jerk Chicken is incredibly tender and juicy.
- It’s an easy recipe that requires minimal prep time.
- Oven-Baked Jerk Chicken is a healthy, protein-packed meal option.
Recipe Ingredients
- Habanero Pepper: This very spicy and slightly fruity pepper adds the signature heat and vibrant flavor essential to Jerk Chicken.
- Thyme: Earthy and slightly minty with a woody texture and infuses the dish with an aromatic, herbal flavor.
- Allspice (Pimento Seeds): Warm, sweet, and slightly peppery, allspice mimics a blend of cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Seasoning Variation: You can create your own jerk blend by incorporating additional spices such as smoked paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, or even a touch of nutmeg and cinnamon for a hint of sweetness. If you’re short on time or ingredients, store-bought jerk seasoning is also a convenient option.
- Chicken Variation: While chicken thighs, drumsticks, and wings are traditional choices for this Baked Jerk Chicken recipe, you can use bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces or boneless, skinless chicken breasts for a leaner alternative.
How to Make Baked Jerk Chicken
Step 1: Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (163 degrees Celsius).
Step 2: In the bowl of a food processor or blender, add the vegetable oil, molasses, lime juice, habanero, green onions, ginger, garlic cloves, thyme, allspice, cardamom, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth. The mixture will be fairly thick, almost pesto-like.
Step 3: Add chicken to a large sauté pan or Dutch oven (with a lid). Pour or brush the mixture over the chicken, reserving about ¼ cup for the final broil. Add lime slices. Cover and bake for 2 to 2½ hours.
Step 4: Brush the chicken with the reserved coating and broil uncovered until charred, about 5 minutes or so, depending on your broil setting. Serve immediately.
Expert Tips
- Monitor Broiling Closely: When broiling the chicken, keep a close eye on it. The high heat can quickly turn the chicken from charred to burnt. Adjust the broil setting if necessary to avoid overcooking.
- Use a Meat Thermometer: To ensure the chicken is cooked perfectly, use a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius) to ensure it’s fully cooked and safe to eat.
FAQs
Yes, you can create a variety of jerk dishes. Enjoy jerk pork, jerk seafood (like lobster, shrimp, etc.), jerk turkey, jerk lamb, or jerk vegetables.
Jerk chicken is a staple Jamaican dish and you can enjoy it with hard-dough bread, salad, beans, or roasted veggies like cauliflower and broccoli.
Storage Info
STORE any leftover Baked Jerk Chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, you can FREEZE the chicken for up to 2 months.
To REHEAT, thaw frozen chicken in the refrigerator overnight, then warm it in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) for about 20 minutes or until heated through. Alternatively, you can reheat it in the microwave on medium power in 1-2 minute intervals until hot.
Delicious Instant Pot Recipes to Try
Baked Jerk Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsp molasses
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 habanero pepper - stemmed and seeded
- 6 green onions
- 1 (1-inch) chunk fresh ginger
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2-3 lbs chicken thighs, drumsticks, or chicken wings - skin on
- 1 lime - sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (163 degrees Celsius).
- In the bowl of a food processor or blender, add the vegetable oil, molasses, lime juice, habanero, green onions, ginger, garlic cloves, thyme, allspice, cardamom, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth. The mixture will be fairly thick, almost pesto-like.
- Add chicken to a large sauté pan or Dutch oven (with a lid). Pour or brush the mixture over the chicken, reserving about ¼ cup for the final broil. Add lime slices. Cover and bake for 2 to 2½ hours.
- Brush the chicken with the reserved coating and broil uncovered until charred, about 5 minutes or so, depending on your broil setting. Serve immediately.
So authentic! Had to grind the allspice and cardamom seeds in a mortar and pestle, and it was sooo flavorful! I also used two habanero peppers, and it was plenty spicy without contraindications lol
How would you make this with chicken breasts? I don’t like bone-in chicken or dark meat and prefer breast meat, do you know how much you would use, and if you could cut it up into little cubes or something like that for the same affect?
If you could find them skin on that would be preferable- otherwise you may end up with really dry meat!
I actually like dryer meat haha I have texture issues. If it works with breast meat, how much would you use and would the cooking time be different? Would you leave the breasts whole or cut them up?
I personally would leave them whole. I think slicing it up would be delicious and it would have a nice crust (or bark) on them from the jerk rub.
Recipe sounds good, didn’t need all of the OXO bs tho.
I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. And as for the post being sponsored by OXO, it helps offset the costs of the site and keeps all of these recipes free.
the chicken looks mouth watering.will def try this out
You are short-changing yourself if you don’t let the chicken marinate several hours or overnight. I stab all the pieces on both sides several times with a steak knife and then coat with the marinade rub. There’s bunches of cilantro and brown sugar and apple cider vinegar in my marinade. Also, more like ten lime’s worth of juice and I throw the peels into the mix. I put all the pieces into giant soup pot and press down with plate, turning the mix once halfway through the marination time. if you aren’t grilling, a dash of liquid smoke doesn’t hurt, either.