Ever since trying jerk chicken at a restaurant called Cha Cha Chicken in Santa Monica, I have been dreaming of recreating their jerk sauce. It is so delicious! The sweetness of the pineapple, with the spice of habaneros, and the mixture of the spices gives it great depth of flavor. I have been on the prowl for a similar recipe, and this one has been the closest so far. Its not exactly it, but it is a good starting point. Look for more jerk sauce recipes to come!
I used chicken thighs for the jerk chicken because I was going to grill. They keep their moisture when grilling better than breasts do, especially since I had to cook them longer because the bone was left in. Not only that, but lately, the cost of meat has been rising, and chicken thighs are a cheaper cut of chicken. I am trying to budget my groceries, so I have started to look ways to make more economic meat choices.
In the end, the flavor of this recipe did the job. I’m surprised at how much the spiciness of the peppers was dulled down by the sweet pineapple, but also from cooking. I thought I wouldn’t be able to handle the heat when I tried the sauce before it was cooked, but afterwards it had a perfect amount of spice for me. My husband also enjoyed the spice level, but I’m sure it could have been spicier for him.
Lessons Learned
- Spiciness of habaneros is reduced when cooked.
- Oil grate before grilling chicken. Most of the skins on my chicken thighs ended up sticking to the grate and I ended up loosing them to the fire. The skin tastes great with the marinade
- ¼ cup pineapple (either fresh or canned)
- 1 habanero
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 Tbsp ginger
- 2 green onions
- 1 Tbsp thyme
- 1 Tbsp all spice
- ¾ tsp nutmeg
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp rum
- zest & juice of half an orange
- zest & juice of 1 lime
- 1 lbs chicken (I used thighs)
- Place everything in the blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour marinate over the chicken and let marinade for about 2-3 hours at least.
- Heat grill to medium-high. Grill chicken until fully cooked and until juices run clear.
- While the chicken is grilling, put marinade in small pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Serve cooked marinade on side as sauce.
(Inspired by Closet Cooking recipe)
Related posts:
Powered by YARPP.
How many thighs does this marinade ratio serve?
I will usually do a double recipe for about a dozen thighs. I cook the leftover marinade and use as a sauce, so I have a lot of sauce to top it off. A single recipe would probably be good for a dozen thighs leaving only a little leftover for a sauce.