Hungry for Jamaican heat
Roasted jerk chicken warms the soul and fills the house with an amazing aroma
One of my favourite Sunday suppers is roast chicken. Most times, before cooking it, I’ll flavour it simply, perhaps stuffing the cavity with chunks of onion and garlic, and sprinkling the skin with lemon zest, salt, pepper and a herb, such as rosemary.
But on a recent Sunday when I had my latest craving for roast chicken, I felt like something with a bit of spiciness to it. Something with a bit of Jamaican-style heat to take make me forgot about the lack of warmth and sunshine that day.
To achieve that goal, I decided to make a roasted version of jerk chicken, a dish that is often grilled. I did not want to do the latter, because I knew roasting the bird indoors would also fill my home with the most amazing aroma.
If you don’t know anything about this style of preparation, or even if you do, but are not aware of the history of this dish, you might wonder why it’s called “jerk.”
As I discovered when doing past research on this topic, Spanish explorers who went to Jamaica discovered the island’s Arawak Indians used generous amounts of spices and hot chili peppers to help preserve dried meats.
Lore suggests the culinary term “jerk” is derived from the Spanish word for that dried meat, charqui. The English word jerky, another dried, preserved meat, is also derived from that Spanish word.
Jerk became very popular in Jamaica and as time passed along, instead of a preservation technique, jerk became a method to highly season foods, such as chicken, to enjoy now, not months from now.
Like other foods that have been prepared a long while, how jerk seasoning is made varies from cook to cook, recipe to recipe. But ingredients mixed in usually include hot chilies, onions, garlic, herbs and spices.
I used that combination of flavourings for today’s roasted jerk chicken recipe. I would call it a milder-style of jerk chicken, in that I only used one hot pepper to favour it, not a handful of them as I’ve seen in other recipes. If you like things spicy, simply add more hot chilies.
In my recipe, I give you the option to use scotch bonnet, habañero or serrano chili pepper to favour the chicken. I did that because not all food stores around these parts carry scotch bonnet peppers, the type most often called for in jerk chicken recipes.
Before chopping one of those fiery hot peppers, you might want to slip on some rubber gloves. Also, when handling the pepper, do not put your fingers near your eyes or any other exposed area on your body, or you will quickly feel the burn.
If chopping a hot pepper is not something you want to do, I also give you the option to use dried, crushed chili flakes instead.
Roasted Jerk Chicken
This recipe is an oven-roasted version of the jerk chicken recipe published in my book, The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook. The juicy roast chicken is given a Jamaican-style taste by marinating it with hot peppers, cilantro, green onions, spices and sweet and sour accents. I like to serve it with cornbread, steamed rice with kidney beans mixed in, and a wilted green, such as chard. Preparation: 20 minutes, plus marinating time Cooking time: 85 to 90 minutes Makes: Four servings 1 scotch bonnet, habañero or serrano chili pepper, seeded and chopped (see Eric's options) 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro 2 green onions, very thinly sliced 1 large garlic clove, minced 1 tsp ground allspice 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 2 Tbsp lime juice 1 Tbsp cider vinegar 1 Tbsp brown sugar 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 (3 lb./1.5 kg) chicken • salt to taste • lime wedges, for squeezing Make jerk marinade by combining first 10 ingredients in a small bowl.
Set the chicken, breast side up and with the wings untucked from the body, in a shallow sided dish. Brush and coat the outside of the chicken with the marinade. Tent chicken with plastic wrap, refrigerate and let marinate four hours, brushing it occasionally with any marinade that falls of the sides of the bird.
When ready to cook the chicken, preheat oven to 375 F. Remove chicken from the marinade and set in shallow sided roasting pan, breast side up. Tie the legs of chicken together with kitchen string and fold and tuck the wings back under the body. Brush the chicken with any marinade left in the dish and season with salt.
Roast the chicken for 50 minutes, and then baste with pan juices. Roast chicken 25 minutes more, and baste with pan juices again. Roast 10 to 15 minutes more, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh, not touching the bone, registers 170 F.
Transfer cooked chicken to a plate, loosely tent it with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes. Carve and serve the chicken with lime wedges for squeezing. Eric options: If chopping a fiery hot pepper is not something you want to do, replace it with 1 tsp dried, crushed chili flakes, or to taste. If you want to still use a fresh chili pepper, but want a less spicy taste, instead of the scotch bonnet, habañero or serrano pepper, chop and use one or two small- to medium-sized jalapeño pepper in this recipe.