This Jamaican jerk chicken gets the tastebuds tingling with a sweet, smoky homemade jerk seasoning that infuses every bite with Caribbean flavor. After a quick sizzle in a hot skillet, I serve it with an easy sauce made from juicy sautéed peaches and plums.
With all that flavor, this jerk chicken takes just 30 minutes to make! For more Caribbean-style recipes, try this easy Jamaican curry chicken and my spicy Cuban mojo chicken.
Every time I make this Jamaican jerk chicken, I find myself humming along to the song “Kokomo” by the Beach Boys (Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya…). I swear, the flavors in this jerk chicken recipe have teleportation powers. One bite and I feel like I have my feet in the sand in the warm Caribbean. This homemade jerk chicken is sweet, aromatic, smoky, and with a good amount of heat. Pass me a glass of sorrel juice and I’m there!
Why You’ll Go Crazy For This Jerk Chicken Recipe
- Sweet, spicy, savory. I give this chicken a delicious rub-down with an easy homemade jerk seasoning (just a handful of pantry spices!) and serve it with sweet-savory sautéed peaches and plums. It’s the BEST combo.
- 30-minute meal. Boneless chicken breast is quick to cook in the pan and the spices create a delicious crust on the outside while it sears. I use the leftover pan bits to make a simple but delicious sauce with sautéed peaches and plums. The whole dish takes 30 minutes!
- Great for leftovers. Jamaican jerk chicken stores well and tastes great cold or reheated. I love dicing up the leftovers and rolling them up in soft flatbread for a lunch wrap.
What Is Jamaican Jerk Chicken?
Jerk is a Jamaican cooking style where meat, usually chicken, gets rubbed with Caribbean seasonings and cooked over fire. Jamaican jerk chicken gets its hot, fragrant, smoky flavor from spices like allspice, ginger, garlic, and spicy scotch bonnet pepper. Rather than an open fire, I cook my jerk chicken in a skillet. But it’s also amazing on the grill!
What You’ll Need
Here are the notes on the ingredients I used in this easy jerk recipe. Scroll to the recipe card after the post for a printable list with amounts.
- Chicken – I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you can make jerk chicken thighs, too. Chicken on the bone also works, though it takes longer to cook.
- Jerk Seasoning – This can be store-bought or homemade (see below). Jamaican jerk spice is key to the chicken’s flavor.
- Olive Oil – Or avocado oil, for pan-frying.
- Cornstarch – I make a quick slurry with cornstarch and water to thicken the pan sauce.
- Stone Fruit – I use a combination of sliced ripe peaches and red plums since they’re easy to find. Other good stone fruit options are nectarines, apricots, and mangos. Feel free to use what you like, and what’s in season.
- Brown Sugar – Or granulated sugar, but I like the extra caramelization of brown sugar in this recipe. You can also use another sweetener, like honey.
Easy Homemade Jerk Seasoning
My homemade Jamaican jerk seasoning is a blend of pantry-friendly spices like garlic powder, cayenne pepper, thyme, allspice, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg. The recipe is a bit milder than some traditional jerk blends out there, but you can easily adapt the heat to taste. If you love a five-alarm fire, bump up the cayenne and crushed pepper, or use a hotter chili powder, like habanero.
How to Make Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Follow these steps to make spicy jerk chicken topped with caramelized peaches and plums:
- Season the chicken. Start by rubbing the chicken all over with jerk seasoning.
- Cook. Next, sear the chicken in a skillet over medium heat. Keep the cooked chicken covered while you set it aside to make the sauce.
- Make the sauce. In the same skillet, sauté sliced peaches and plums with brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir in a slurry of cornstarch and water and let that simmer.
- Serve. Once the sauce thickens, spoon it over the jerk chicken and serve. See below for some of my favorite serving ideas.
Grilling Method
Cooking jerk chicken on the stovetop is fast and easy, but I love to make this on the grill in the summertime. To make grilled Jamaican jerk chicken, rub the chicken with seasoning as directed and follow the grilling directions for my grilled blackened chicken.
Can I Use a Jerk Marinade Instead?
Sure! The jerk seasoning I use here is a dry rub, but if you’d prefer to marinate the chicken, you can borrow the homemade Jamaican jerk sauce from my spicy grilled pork chops. Add the sauce and chicken to a large Ziploc bag and let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes. Afterward, season and cook the chicken as usual.
Tips and Variations
- Let the chicken rest. Resting the cooked chicken while you prepare the fruit sauce gives the juices time to redistribute throughout the meat. Make sure to cover it with foil to keep it warm and juicy.
- Adapt the heat. Feel free to spice up the seasoning with extra chili powder, cayenne, or crushed red pepper. For milder jerk chicken, choose a mild seasoning from the store or make a homemade blend with less spice.
- Different toppings. The tropical mango salsa from my mango chicken recipe also goes great with the sweet-spicy flavors in this jerk chicken.
Serving Suggestions
This Jamaican jerk chicken doesn’t need much besides a bed of fluffy white rice. A glass of Riesling goes great with the bold, spicy jerk flavors, or you can wash it down with hibiscus iced tea. Sometimes, I’ll skip the fruit sauce and slice the chicken breasts over jerk chicken rasta pasta on weeknights.
To really make this into a Caribbean feast, serve jerk chicken with buttery baked lobster tails, or island hop to the Dominican Republic with a big bowl of sancocho dominicano. And don’t miss a slice of banana pound cake for dessert!
Frequently Asked Questions
The word “jerk” comes from the Spanish word “charqui”, or “jerky” in English, meaning jerked or dried meat. Meanwhile, Jamaican jerk spice is the spice rub used in jerk recipes.
Jamaican jerk chicken is fragrant and smoky, and most traditional Jamaican jerk recipes lean towards the fiery side. This is why I love making my own jerk seasoning. I can adjust the heat to taste!
If the jerk chicken looks a little blackened on the outside, don’t worry. It’s likely not burnt, just darkened due to the spice rub coming into contact with the hot pan. If the chicken is actually burning, though, it could be that the pan is too hot. Make sure to keep it over medium heat.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store. Keep any leftover jerk chicken airtight in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months and defrost them in the fridge for reheating.
Reheat. Warm the chicken in the oven at 350ºF under foil until it’s hot throughout.
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Season the chicken. Sprinkle jerk seasoning over the chicken pieces and rub it in with your fingers.
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Pan-fry. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until done, turning once halfway through cooking. Remove the chicken from the skillet and transfer it to a plate. Keep the chicken covered and set it aside.
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Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch to make a slurry. Add the fruit, sugar, and salt to the skillet. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes or until the fruit is tender and the sauce is thickened, stirring frequently.
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Serve! Spoon the fruit sauce over the chicken and serve.
Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 239mg | Potassium: 651mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 985IU | Vitamin C: 9.4mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
