Big, big, BIG flavours. Spicy. Punchy. Salty. Sweet. ♥ I can’t transport you to the Caribbean. But I can give you a taste of the tropics in your own home! Happy days!
Served with Caribbean Rice with Peas (actually, it’s beans – but the dish is called “peas”!)
Jamaican Jerk Chicken Drumsticks
One of the best nights I remember from my holiday to the Bahamas was at a beach bar where we drank cheap beer, danced barefoot on the sand and lined up in long queues for dinner served on paper plates. It was an extensive banquet consisting of peas ‘n rice, corn on the cob, a green salad and jerk chicken….. 🙂
No one was complaining about lack of choice, believe me! That was my first jerk chicken experience and I’ve never looked back. It hits my sweet spot perfectly – big, punchy, spicy flavours.
Look at the thick sticky marinade on the chicken!
I’ve tried quite a few jerk chicken recipes, including from celebrity chefs. But this Oven Baked Jerk Chicken recipe by Imma from Immaculate Bites is my favourite. As soon as I saw her recipe, I knew I would try it and I’ve made it twice already. Recipes for jerk chicken, like many signature dishes of cuisines from around the world, vary wildly though they have common ingredients. What I love about Imma’s recipes is that she shares home cook versions of Caribbean recipes. Real ingredients that ordinary people can find and cooking methods for ordinary folks like me.
I would love to be able to make real jerk chicken over charcoal with pimento wood. But that just ain’t gonna happen in my backyard! So I’m sticking with Imma’s oven baked version. 🙂 I made these in the photo in the oven, but I’ve provided directions for the grill/BBQ as well.
I served the jerk chicken with Imma’s Caribbean Rice with Red Beans. It’s sensational, the kind of rice that is so flavourful you can eat it plain. 🙂 – Nagi x
MORE CHICKEN DRUMSTICK RECIPES
Greek Chicken – ideal made with drumsticks instead of thighs
Baked Chicken and Rice – make this with drumsticks instead of bone in thighs!
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Jamaican Jerk Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 8 (about 2.5lb / 1.2kg) chicken drumsticks (Note 1)
Marinade
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 lime (or 1/2 lemon), juice only (about 2 tbsp)
- 1 onion , coarsely chopped (brown, yellow or white)
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger , chopped (or 1 tsp dried ginger powder)
- 1 or more scotch bonnet pepper or substitute with other chili (Note 2)
- 6 garlic cloves , roughly chopped
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tbsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tbsp allspice powder
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder (preferably freshly grated)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1 sprig of fresh thyme
Garnish
- Fresh cilantro/coriander leaves
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and place in a large ziplock bag.
- Place Marinade ingredients in a food processor and whizz until smooth. Try not to touch the Marinade with bare hands to avoid getting chili on your hands.
- Pour the Marinade into the ziplock bag. Close the bag, squeezing out excess air. Massage the bag from the outside to disperse the Marinade throughout the chicken. Marinate for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours.
- When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the Marinade but reserve the Marinade.
Oven
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350 (fan forced).
- Place a wire rack on a baking tray lined with foil. Place the drumsticks on the rack and baste the top with half the Marinade. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Turn the drumsticks and baste the top with the remaining Marinade. Bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes, until the drumsticks are very dark brown.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with coriander/cilantro if using.
BBQ/Grill
- Preheat the grill side of the BBQ on medium (or medium low if your BBQ is strong). Brush the grill with oil, if required.
- Place the chicken on the grill. Brush the top with 1/2 the Marinade. Cook for 10 minutes, then turn.
- Brush the top with the remaining Marinade and cook for a further 5 to 8 minutes.
- Then turn the chicken again (to cook the side that you just brushed Marinade on) and cook for a few minutes. (Total cook time around 20 minutes in total)
- Remove from the BBQ and rest for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with coriander/cilantro if using.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
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Caribbean Rice with Peas (Beans)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil (canola, vegetable, peanut, olive oil)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 onion , diced (brown, white, yellow)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1 small fresh thyme sprig
- 1 cup long grain rice (uncooked)
- 14 oz / 400g can red kidney beans , rinsed and drained
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 3/4 cup water (or 1 cup if you like your rice very soft)
- 1 small bay leaf
- 2 tsp cajun spice mix (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.
- Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add onion and thyme, and sauté for 3 minutes until translucent and just starting to turn golden brown.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Put the lid on and bring to boil, then turn the heat down to low.
- Cook for around 20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed (tilt the saucepan – if there is no water, then it is ready).
- Remove from the stove and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. During this time, any residual water will be absorbed and the rice will continue to cook.
- I served this with Jamaican Jerk Chicken Drumsticks.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Sorry to bug you again Nagi. The oven temp for the Jerk Chicken is that fan forced?
Yes, fan forced 180C/350F! I’m sorry Ann, I will clarify in the recipe!
What does fan forced mean? Sorry I’m marinating these as we speak! Excited
Hi Salina! It’s a type of oven where there is a fan at the back that circulates the air evenly throughout the oven. 🙂
These chicken drumsticks have beautiful and perfect color…reading through the list of ingredients I can really tell you that they must taste really delicious. Nicely paired with the rice and bean…a wonderful meal as always.
Have a fabulous week ahead Nagi 🙂
Thank you for your kind words Juliana! I hope you have a lovely week too! 🙂
Aw and when I had a drink with Jamie recently he mentioned how much he enjoys your meals.
Ha HA!! Don’t tease about things like that!! 🙂
G’day! I LOVE the Bahamas and love jerk chicken too Nagi!
Oh the memories your photos allow me to relive today! Thank you!
This is now on the list also to do! YUM!
Cheers! Joanne
Thanks Joanne!! All this talk about the Bahamas is making me want a tropical holiday NOW! 🙂
Damn – that pic looked so good I thought it was here on my bench! DELICIOUS – Nagi – and I find Imma’s recipes inspiring too.
Oh, so glad you know her blog! I was actually going to suggest it to you, she really is an amazing source of inspiration for me. Thanks for your kind words Rachel! 🙂
Oh my, this looks AMAZING!! The sauce came out beautifully and really clings to the chicken. How wonderful. 🙂
Thank you Krista!! The marinade really does cling so well to the chicken…it is an AWESOME recipe, and I take no credit for it, it is Imma’s from Immaculate Bites!
This brings back the best memories for me. John and I were staying at our favourite hotel in Negril – the Charlela Inn – and we hired the old (and I do mean OLD) taxi driver that sat outside the hotel all day to take us around. He took us to the botanic gardens and walked with us.
“Is that marijuana growing in the botanic gardens?” I asked.
“Yes, but that’s only a few plants,” he said with confidence.
Then he decided we needed lunch so he took us up to some place in the mountains and we rounded a corner and there was a half barrel bbq and the most outstanding aroma. John and I sat on a log, in the middle of nowhere with men who looked like they could be axe murderers and ate the best jerk chicken and goat I’ve ever tasted. It was HOT thought. 🙂
(axe murderers never look you in the eye, they look at the ground – I’m convinced)
I will make your chicken and take a mini holiday in my mind back to Negril.
Sounds like an awesome holiday…you certainly have “been around”! I love the thought of you in the middle of the mountains having jerk chicken together. 🙂 I hope this does bring back memories for you because it sounds like great ones! (Axe murderers aside!)
Talk about mouth watering goodness right there, wow! These look so good. I love jerk and make a mean rub with the Scotch Bonnet pepper for ribs. Love how the grill can caramelize the marinade and it looks like your oven did a fantastic job on these too. I love heat, but not burn. I want to eat it!
Thanks Kevin! I actually haven’t tried a dry jerk rub yet. Have you shared it on your blog? Popping over to check it out! 🙂
It’s definitely up there, (http://bit.ly/1BrSQn5) try it out and let me know. Don’t laugh at my photos though, they are from September 2013. Thankfully even I can see the growth and change in my photography. I actually think back then I was just using my iPhone. This was before getting my Sony A7 Mirrorless Full Frame Camera. 🙂
Full frame? Fancy schmancy! I’m on a hand me down DX5000 Nikon 🙂
What can I say? WOW! I can taste it , chicken legs are on the shopping list.
THANKS Anne! You will love this! The flavours are amazing. Imma from Immaculate Bites has incredible taste. Her recipe is so much better than Jamie Oliver’s (hope he never reads this!) 🙂
Wow, this looks exceptional, Nagi! I love jamaican jerk. I’m so excited to try the from-scrach version.
Thanks so much Shinee, you are so kind! 🙂 I hope you do try it!
Nagi…you know I just came back from Jamaica like a month ago! And I did love that smoky chicken hot off of the grill. However, I like my chicken saucier 🙂 This looks like heaven 🙂
Oh wow, really? I’ve never been! How does it compare to the Bahamas? (If you have been!)
I have never been…but I would imagine it is very similar…Oh NAGI…you must go to Jamaica…the people, the pride, the nature…so magnificent.
Oooh….you’ve inspired me, added to my list of places I must must must visit!!
Pictures look amazing as always. Making me very hungry.
Hi Chi – thanks so much! You are very kind 🙂
Nagi, these recipes sound wonderful. Even though I’ve spent a little time in the Caribbean, I’ve never had jerk chicken. So I’m looking forward to trying this. But I won’t be using the really hot chili peppers! In our old age, my husband and I don’t do so well with the really hot peppers.
Hi Susan! I made this the other day for a friend with young children. I used 1 birds eye chilli and she said her kids were FINE with it. There is a very very tiny tingle from the chili, but certainly not enough to call it spicy! The other alternative is to use a hot sauce so you can control the amount of heat in it. Just stick your finger in the sauce before you marinade the chicken to get it to your liking! 🙂
Thanks, Nagi. I know that a single bird chile spread out over a whole dish wouldn’t be bad. I think I’ll see if I can find dried bird chiles, since I don’t use a lot of fresh ones. My local Asian market only sells big bags of the fresh ones. (I have a little bit of a problem with getting Asian ingredients because our city population is 80% Hispanic.)
Hi Susan! I wouldn’t worry about hunting down even dried chillies. I would just use anything you have to add a bit of spiciness to it – whether it be a dash of hot sauce, or some cayenne pepper or chili powder. Anything is fine! Because you can’t actually taste the “flavour” of the chili, per se, just the heat. So just add anything that will give this a touch of spice! 🙂
Absolutely perfect. Love jerk chicken and could eat this every night of the week!
Thanks so much Matt! Isn’t jerk chicken the best?? The kids will love it too! I was just telling another reader that if you reduce the spice to just a wee bit, the kids scoff this down! 🙂
I had absolutely no idea what jerk chicken had in it, I’ve just realised, but wow! What a flavour explosion!! Sign me up!
You’ll love this Helen! I tried Jamie’s version too – this one is Imma’s and it is BETTER! 🙂
Am SPEECHLESS! – Thank you for making me think I can cook. I have only one word to describe this recipe- NAGILICIOUS!!!!!
Imma, please, what is with that self deprecating comment?! You are a brilliant cook. And what I love the most is that you share unique recipes using ingredients that anyone can get from the grocery store. Honestly, I get so much inspiration from you!! Thank you for sharing your recipes with us. You’ve opened my eyes to Caribbean and African cooking 🙂
I love Jamaican jerk chicken and have cooked a few versions, but I HAVE to try out this one! Look too delicious! I also like the rice and beans to serve with the chicken. Pinning!
Thanks so much Maggie! This is Imma’s recipe and it is FABULOUS, my favourite! 🙂 The rice and beans are also hers 🙂
It’s 10am here, and my mouth is watering looking at this incredible recipe! The spice blends are phenomenal and the way you photograph drumsticks is always spot on! You have a knack for capturing that perfect balance of crispy outside and juicy inside – nice done, as always 🙂
Thanks Kathleen! It is an incredible recipe and all credit goes to Imma from Immaculate Bites. I love her food! You will love it too – totally “our type” of food – things that are a little bit different but still familiar ingredients, if you know what I mean?? 🙂