An easy super delicious baked jerk chicken cooked in a cast iron pot until pull apart tender.
Make this Cast Iron Jerk Chicken today and thank me afterwards. The jerk flavor profile is ridiculously delicious. And the tenderness is pull-apart texture. Beware, the marinade seasoning is crazy finger licking good. Why this baked jerk chicken works? For starters, kiwi is used to add both acidity and acts as a tenderizer. Additionally, mystique liquid smoke adds a touch of smoky taste.
Importantly, the marinade works for cutup chicken that can be grilled or cooked in a smoker with wood chips. Further, traditional authentic jerk chicken uses pimento wood chips in addition to allspice. The distinctive jerk taste requires at minimal adding allspice also known as Pimento. Moreover, jerk foods are typically spicy. Hence for this recipe the habanero peppers is a must or scotch bonnet. The jerk marinade works on any type of meat or even seafood.
Let’s talk about the cast iron pot cooking? Cooking this chicken in this manner does two things. First, it steams the chicken which creates the pull apart texture without drying out the meat. Second, it bakes evenly without overcooking. A high oven temperature, 450F/232C degrees, and keeping the vessel tightly closed, worked perfectly. Removing the cover during the last 10 minutes of cooking, while not absolutely necessary, improved the color and added a crustiness to the skin.
Furthermore, the cast iron jerk chicken lends itself to the marinade becoming the perfect natural, Au Jus sauce, “in its own juices.” The complexity of the marinade seasoning married brilliantly with the chicken juices. When serving the chicken, just pour on the amazing natural sauce from the pot and serve over your favorite rice. Our perfect red beans and rice works well. Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
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Cast Iron Jerk Chicken
This is the most delicious jerk chicken recipe that's pull apart tender and the marinade is to die for.
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 – 5 pounds chicken organic preferably
FOR THE MARINADE:
- 1 medium onion peeled and chopped
- 10 -12 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 kiwi peeled
- 4 – 5 scallions chopped
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 10 – 12 sprigs of thyme remove leaves and discard stems
- 1 – 2 Habanero or scotch bonnet peppers stem removed (optional – remove seeds)
- 3 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 `teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon mystique or hickory liquid smoke
Instructions
Preheat Oven 450F/232C Degrees
Make the Marinade:
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Dump all the marinade ingredients into a mini food processor or blender. Blend to combine into a marinade texture.
Season the Chicken:
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Add the chicken to a large bowl. Dump all the marinade over the chicken. Rub the marinade all over and inside the chicken cavity as well.
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Use a piece of aluminum foil to make a circular rack (or use a round wire rack that can fit inside the cast iron pan.
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Place the round foil or rack in the bottom of the cast iron pan. Transfer the marinated chicken into the pot, breast side up. Pour all the marinade from the bowl all over the top of the chicken.
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Cover the pot with the cast iron cover. Transfer the vessel to the preheated oven. Bake covered for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
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Remove the pot from the oven. Remove the cover. Using kitchen tong or two spatulas, carefully lift the chicken on the cast iron cover.
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Return the chicken to the oven, uncovered. Bake for 10 minutes to create a light crust on the chicken. Remove from the oven.
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Cut up the chicken and pour the sauce/marinade from the pot onto the chicken. Serve with your favorite side dishes. Enjoy!
