Baked Jerk Chicken with Jerk Gravy 
Jerk Gravy
Jerk chicken is known for its pungent marinade and one of the key ingredient to the amazingly delicious flavor is pimento better known as allspice. Additionally, the chicken (or pork, beef, etc) is grilled on top of a bed of pimento wood, making it authentic.
This baked recipe (although not authentic due to the lack of grilling on pimento wood) can, nonetheless, be smoked on the grill or simply grilled without the smoking technique. If you have any intention of using pimento wood, it is not easy to find. I usually find it on Amazon but the delivery time is outrageously long.
The rich and mildly spicy flavor of this recipe makes up for not using the smoked method. Baking the chicken in the marinade is the ingenious process to creating the brilliance of a full flavored jerk taste. Because of the lengthy bake time in the marinade there is no overnight marinating required.
This dish was so finger licking good it did not last long. For the few pieces of chicken that was leftover, I used it to make some jerk fried rice – highly recommend doing this with any leftover. I hope you make and enjoy this easy and outrageously scrumptious dish. Happy Cooking
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Baked Jerk Chicken with Jerk Gravy
A Simple Slow Baked Chicken loaded with just the right jerk flavors and mildly spicy.
Ingredients
- 7 pounds chicken parts whole legs, breasts, wings
FOR THE MARINADE:
- 6 scallions roughly chopped
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 20 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 bunch thyme leaves
- 1 inch piece ginger roughly chopped
- 3 Habanero Peppers (1 whole. Remove seeds from 2 and rough chop)
- 1 lime juiced
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 star anise pod
- 4 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
FOR THE GRAVY:
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup reserved pan gravy (marinade from the cooked jerk chicken)
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degree.
MAKE THE MARINADE:
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Add all the marinade ingredients to a blender and pulse 30 seconds to 1 minute. Set aside.
FOR THE CHICKEN:
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Score the chicken legs/thighs and breasts – two to three light cuts.
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Place the chicken parts in a large aluminum foil baking pan in a single layer. Pour the marinade onto the chicken and coat the chicken thoroughly.
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Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
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Bake for 1 hour.
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Remove the cover. Baste the chicken with the pan gravy/marinade. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pan gravy/marinade.
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Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
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Return the pan with the chicken to the oven (uncovered). Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the chicken starts to turn brown. Baste the chicken 2 to 3 times with the pan gravy during this cooking time.
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Remove the chicken to a platter/serving dish. Garnish with chopped scallions if desired.
MAKE THE GRAVY: (This can be done during the last 20 to 30 minutes while the chicken is baking)
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In a 2 quart pot or saucepan, over medium high heat, add the chicken broth and the 1/2 cup reserved jerk marinade. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
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In a small cup or bowl, dilute the cornstarch in the cold water, using a whisk or fork.
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Add the diluted cornstarch to the broth. Whisk to incorporate. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 munites until the gravy starts to thicken to your desired thickness.
Note: You can add up to 1 more tablespoon cornstarch for a very thinker/heavier gravy. You can also use up to 1 cup of the marinade and 1/2 cup chicken broth for a more distinctive jerk flavor.
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Pour into a gravy bowl and serve with the jerk chicken.
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Plate, Serve and Enjoy the most tender jerk chicken and gravy. Happy Cooking.
Recipe Notes
Optional but not necessary: You can marinate the chicken overnight.Â
The marinade can be used to season, any type of meat, including a hearty fish.
For a more spicy flavor, you can either use 2 of the Habanero peppers with seeds and just deseed one or you can use Scotch Bonnet Peppers instead. I think Scotch Bonnet has much more heat.
