Jerk Chicken

  This summer I volunteered for The Wild Mountain Music Festival.  The weekend was inspiring for a lot of different reasons.  I left with new friends, new experiences, and an intense craving for jerk chicken.     

While I tend to eat healthy for the most part, festival food is one of my favourite exceptions.  That weekend I indulged in the likes of deep fried Oreos, mini donuts, and hot dogs wrapped in bannock. Among the booths was one that really stood out to me, called “Babes N’ Bowls”.  From the moment I saw their vintage teal trailer adorned with fairy lights and their tables lined with pea shoots, I knew I had stumbled upon something magnificent.  The booth had all your festival favorites, in a slightly healthier package. 

Throughout the weekend, I kept returning to their booth for their taco quinoa bowl topped with guacamole and jerk chicken. Once I got home, I couldn’t get their jerk chicken out of my head so I set out to re-create something in my own kitchen. 

  

 

My good friend Josh loves experiment with recipes just as much as I do, so I brought the marinated chicken over to his house and he grilled it up and made a tasty rice dish and grilled corn on the side.  It was one of the best dinners I’ve had in awhile (probably top 10 in my life even), and I’ll definitely be making this recipe a lot more in the future.

  

Ingredients

- 1 whole chicken

 

Marinade/Sauce

- 2 habanero chilies with seeds, chopped

- 2 bunches green onions, chopped

- 6 garlic cloves, peeled

- 2 limes, juiced

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- ½ cup malt vinegar

- 3 tbsp dark rum

- 3 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 tbsp water

- 1 cup ketchup

- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar

- 3 tbsp fresh thyme

- 4 tsp allspice

- 4 tsp ginger

- 4 tsp cinnamon

- 2 tsp nutmeg

- 1 tsp salt

- 2 tsp pepper 

 

Directions

Using meat scissors, cut chicken into pieces, and place in a large ziplock bag.

In a blender, combine marinade ingredients and blend until smooth.  

 

Set aside ¼ cup marinade for basting, and then pour the rest of the marinade into the ziplock bag full of chicken. Marinate in the fridge for a least 4 hours.

Pre-heat barbecue on high, then adjust to a medium temperature.  Cook chicken until well browned, about 15-20 minutes, using reserved marinade as a basting sauce. 

 Reduce heat to low, and then cook chicken for an additional 25-30 minutes.  

Enjoy!