“Waiting In Vain” Smoked Jerk Chicken Leg Quarters

I feel like I should have jerk chicken at least once a month. If not chicken, then something jerked whether its ribs, lamb chops, or fish. These jerk chicken leg quarters met this month’s fix for that crazy hot, smoky, and aromatic Jamaican goodness! The wait was not in vain.

I don’t have access to pimento, the wood that gives jerk chicken that flavor and fragrance you find at a curbside shack in Jamaica. But I have the ingredients to make a proper brine and marinade. The brine and marinade add flavor to the outer surface as well as infuse the interior with all those wonderful jerk spices and seasonings like the fresh ginger, allspice, cinnamon, thyme, and garlic. I like my jerk with some serious heat check, but feel free to remove the seeds from the habanero/scotch bonnet peppers if you prefer a milder profile.

I chose leg quarters for this recipe, but feel free to use chicken breasts as I’ve done in other recipes or use the whole chicken for that matter. Dark meat takes longer to cook, but it’s also harder to mess up as chicken breasts can easily dry out if you’re not careful.

Jerk Chicken Cooking Key Tips

• Wear gloves when handling the peppers as they are super hot
• Wash knife, cutting board, and any other surface the peppers may have come into contact with
• Cut slits into the chicken before marinating. This will help the chicken absorb more of the flavors
• Adjust heat levels up or down by amount of peppers used as well as seeds and veins. Heat comes from the seeds and veins of chili peppers.
• Let chicken reach room temperature before cooking
• Allspice berries and bay leaves can help replicate flavor from pimento wood. Smolder them with your heat source when grilling
• This recipe can easily be converted to oven bake if you don’t have access to a grill or prefer to use your oven.

Dope beats, fresh eats. Enjoy these jerk chicken leg quarters with sauteed spinach and cabbage chased with a bottle of Red Stripe!

Keep tabs on my food exploits, journey and cooking/healthy living tips! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Smoked Jerk Chicken Leg Quarters

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Caribbean

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Easy jerk chicken leg quarters marinated with spicy and fragrant sauce then slow smoked on the grill. 

Print

Ingredients

• 3 fresh scotch bonnet or habanero peppers
• 6 scallions coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 inch fresh ginger peeled and chopped
• 3  tablespoons  dark brown sugar
• 1  medium onion coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 tablespoons ground allspice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1  tablespoon  Soy Sauce
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 4 whole chicken leg quarters

Instructions

1. Discard stems, seeds, and ribs from 2 chiles and coarsely chop.
2. Coarsely chop remaining chile including seeds (for a less spicy dish, seed half or all of chile before chopping).
3. Blend chiles with remaining ingredients except chicken in a food processor until a paste forms.
4. Cut several 1-inch-long slits in each piece of chicken, then rub paste all over chicken, rubbing it into slits.
5. Marinate, covered and chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 1 day (longer is better for flavor).

6. To cook chicken on a charcoal grill: Grill chicken, skin sides down on indirect heat, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 30-45 minutes.

7. To roast chicken in oven: Place chicken skin sides up, in large baking pan on middle of a preheated 450°F oven, until cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.
Then turn on broiler and broil chicken, about 4 inches from heat, until skin is browned and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.

Recipe Notes

• Wear gloves when handling the peppers as they are super hot
• Wash knife, cutting board, and any other surface the peppers may have come into contact with
• Cut slits into the chicken before marinating. This will help the chicken absorb more of the flavors
• Adjust heat levels up or down by amount of peppers used as well as seeds and veins. Heat comes from the seeds and veins of chili peppers.
• Let chicken reach room temperature before cooking
• Allspice berries and bay leaves can help replicate flavor from pimento wood. Smolder them with your heat source when grilling
• This recipe can easily be converted to oven bake if you don't have access to a grill or prefer to use your oven.