Caribbean Grilled Jerk Chicken

This grilled jerk chicken is smoky, spicy, and packed with flavor from the marinade that blends fiery Scotch bonnet heat with sweet citrus, warm spices, and fresh herbs for a rich, layered taste.

I first made this dish while working at a Caribbean restaurant, and it’s been a go-to ever since. Grilling over charcoal gives the skin a crispy, flame-kissed finish, but a gas grill will still get the job done.

Grilled jerk chicken

Jerk is one of the most distinct and deeply flavorful styles of cooking. It’s bright and spicy up front, but layered with herbs, warm spices, and a smoky backbone that gives it serious depth.

Once the chicken hits the grill, it starts to caramelize, picking up smoke and forming a spicy, smoky, and perfectly charred crust.

Traditionally, jerk is cooked over a charcoal pit, either hot and fast over an open flame or low and slow with pimento wood to build in that signature island smoke. This Grilled Jerk Chicken Recipe is inspired by my early days working at Rumba, a Caribbean fusion restaurant.

I don’t think you can beat the flavor kick from my homemade jerk marinade, but if you want to grab a store-bought bottle like this and turn this into an easy weeknight dinner, be my guest!

Ingredients you’ll need

• Chicken leg quarters are inexpensive and incredibly easy to find. Most grocery stores carry fresh chicken quarters. You can also use chicken thighs, drums, wings, bone-in chicken breasts or a combination.
• Homemade jerk marinade – Our homemade jerk marinade combines scotch bonnet peppers, habanero peppers, allspice, nutmeg, salt, pepper, green onion, white onion, thyme, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, orange juice, brown sugar, olive oil, and vinegar.
• Limes and green onion – I like to grill limes alongside the chicken, spritz them onto the chicken at the end, and serve them with charred green onion. It’s a great finishing touch!

Equipment you’ll need

• Charcoal grill – I used my Weber Kettle Charcoal Grill, however, any charcoal, gas or pellet grill works for this recipe. See my notes in the cooking instructions on how to alter the recipe to your grill. 
• Charcoal – You can use your preferred charcoal brand of choice. I used Royal Oak Hardwood Charcoal and I do not recommend using match-light charcoal. You can also use citrus wood chips for additional flavor. 
• Charcoal chimney or torch -I use a charcoal chimney to start my charcoal, but you can also use a propane torch to start the charcoal in the grill. 
• Meat thermometer – I recommend using an instant-read thermometer for this recipe throughout the cooking; however, you can also use a probe thermometer if preferred. 

The jerk marinade

The marinade may have many ingredients, but it comes together easily in the food processor.

The main ingredient in the jerk marinade is scotch bonnet peppers, which can be hard to find. If you can’t find the peppers in the store, you can order scotch bonnet pepper paste or powder online. You can also substitute the scotch bonnet peppers for habanero peppers. 

This recipe makes a medium-heat jerk chicken, so if you want it spicier, double the pepper quantity and brace yourself!

How to make grilled jerk chicken

1. Make the jerk marinade

The jerk marinade comes together so easily in the food processor! No slicing, dicing, or chopping is needed. 

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. You don’t need to worry about the order in which the ingredients go in, but I suggest adding the vegetables and herbs first, then the seasonings, followed by the liquids.

Blend for about two minutes or until thoroughly combined.

The marinade will be very brown and continue to darken the longer it sits.

2. Prep the chicken

Pour the marinade over the chicken in a food-safe container and marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours, not exceeding two days.

Marinating the chicken for eight hours is the perfect amount of time, but two hours will do the trick if in a pinch.

3. Fire up the grill

I grilled the jerk chicken over my Weber Kettle Charcoal grill. However, any grill works fine.

I started by lighting hardwood charcoal briquettes using a charcoal chimney and placing them only on one side of my grill. Having heat zones when cooking with charcoal or live fire is essential.

If you’re trying this recipe on a pellet smoker, you’ll just want to roast the chicken at 375°F straight through until 165°F internal temperature, flipping occasionally.

If you’re using a gas grill, you’ll want to cook around 350°F-375°F external temperature, then continue to follow the recipe.

4. Grill the chicken

Place the chicken directly over the coals and cook for about a minute, skin side up. This is to introduce the chicken to the heat. This step helps get the chicken skin crispy rather than rubbery or shrinking. 

Move the chicken to the opposite side of the coals and attach the lid. Ensure the vent is open on the lid and partially open below the coals on the grill. This allows airflow, cooking the chicken at around 325°F while keeping the smoke flavors within the cooking area. The skin will brown and start to become crispy during this process.

After 30 minutes, move the chicken directly over the coals, and give it about two minutes on each side. Do not walk away from this part of the process to avoid any flare-ups.

You can also grill some citrus to squeeze onto the chicken for that extra flavor when serving. I also like to grill green onions to serve with the chicken. 

You want a nice char on the chicken without burning or popping the skin.

5. Rest

Remove the chicken from the grill when the chicken reaches 165°F internal temperature. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

What to serve with grilled jerk chicken?

There’s so much flavor on this chicken from the marinade, you can just serve with rice and grilled green onions, plus a cold beer never goes amiss!

We also like to serve our smoked cornbread, macaroni salad, and smoked garlic mashed potatoes together.

Grilled Jerk Chicken Recipe

Whether you’re cooking for a crowd or just want to break out of a grilled chicken rut, this recipe brings the heat, the smoke, and the kind of depth that sticks with you long after the last bite. If you give this recipe a try, leave a rating and a comment below, we’d love to hear what you think.