Serves 2-3 humans
Ingredients
2 large onions, minced
8 garlic cloves, minced
5 jalapeño peppers, minced (or 3 Scotch bonnet)
2 tablespoons dried thyme
24 whole allspice (or 2 tablespoons ground)
2 tablespoons organic coconut palm sugar
2 tablespoons coarse ground sea salt
2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup avocado oil
1/2 cup coconut aminos
1 lime, juiced
1 cup fresh pressed orange juice
1/2 cup champagne vinegar
3 1/2 lbs whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Instructions
Combine the onion, garlic, jalapeño pepper (or scotch bonnet), thyme, allspice, coconut sugar, sea salt, black pepper, cinnamon nutmeg, ginger, avocado oil, coconut aminos, lime juice, orange juice and champagne vinegar in a food processor or blender.
Process until pureed. Ladle 1-2 cups of jerk sauce into a glass container, cover with a lid and transfer to the fridge.
This will be used later when serving.
Add the chicken pieces to a large bowl. Score the chicken pieces to pick up more of the marinade then pour the remaining jerk sauce over the chicken.
Cover the bowl and let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 2-24 hours.
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350F
Transfer the chicken and the soaking marinade to a 4.8 quart oblong glass baking dish.
Bake chicken, uncovered, in the oven for 30 minutes.
Turn the meat over and bake an additional 30 minutes. (Alternatively you can grill the meat and baste with the remaining marinade.)
To make sure chicken is fully cooked, use a meat thermometer and be sure it registers at 160F when pierced into a meaty part of the chicken.
Transfer the chicken to a serving platter or plates and serve with a drizzle of the leftover jerk sauce that was set aside when it was originally made.
Enjoy!
Note: Jamaican jerk paste is typically quite intense thanks to the use of habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers. I chose to go with less heat and used jalapeño peppers in place of a more fiery variety. If you’re looking for a more intense heat refer to the Scoville Scale and replace the jalapeños with a spicier alternative.
