Ainsley Harriott’s Ultimate Jerk Chicken
Ainsley's Ultimate Jerk Chicken recipe is Ainsley Harriott's take on the Caribbean classic. The blend of spices creates a lip-smackingly tasty marinade that brings this much-loved dish its fantastic flavour, just in time for barbecue season.
From the book
Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen: Delicious feelgood cooking from the sunshine islands
All the recipes from Ainsley's hit ITV series
Comfort food classics with Caribbean flavours
Stress-free midweek dinners and delicious family feasts
Introduction
‘Jerking’ is all about maximising flavour. The great thing about jerk cooking is that you can use either a dry rub or a wet marinade, which means that you can use the wonderful flavours in such a variety of dishes, from meat or fish, to vegetables or grains. Traditionally, the mix will include allspice and Scotch bonnet chillies, but the spices can be adapted to taste. Here’s my ultimate jerk marinade with spatchcocked chicken. If you prefer, you can use four chicken breasts with the skin on and cook on the barbecue for 15–20 minutes.
Ingredients
| 1 x 1.5kg | 1.5kg chicken, backbone removed and spatchcocked (ask your butcher to do this) |
| Mixed salad or coleslaw, to serve | |
| For the Jerk Marinade: | |
| 225g | onions, peeled and quartered |
| 2 | small Scotch bonnet chillies, halved and de-seeded |
| 50g | fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped |
| 3-cm piece | fresh turmeric root, peeled and roughly chopped (or use 1 tbsp ground turmeric) |
| ½ tsp | ground allspice |
| 15g | fresh thyme leaves |
| 120ml | white wine vinegar |
| 120ml | dark soy sauce |
| Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper |
Essential kit
You will need: a barbecue with a lid.
Method
First, make the marinade. Place all the ingredients, except the seasoning, into a food processor and pulse until smooth.
Season with a little salt and a generous grinding of black pepper.
Cut slashes into the smooth side of the spatchcocked chicken so that the marinade can penetrate the flesh and place the chicken in a shallow dish. Pour over the marinade and rub well into the meat. Cover and chill for at least 2–3 hours, or preferably overnight, turning every now and then.
Preheat a barbecue with a lid and take the chicken out of the fridge to come up to room temperature.
Cook the chicken on the hot barbecue with the lid down for 40–50 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with any leftover marinade, until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a thin metal skewer.
Remove the chicken from the heat and rest for a few minutes, then serve with a simple mixed salad or a traditional crunchy coleslaw.
