Barbecued Jerk Chicken

18 Feb 2017

This spicy dish is ideal for those late summer evenings by the barbie.

Ingredients

Serves 8

2kg free-range chicken pieces (drumsticks, thighs on the bone, with skin on)

1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Jerk marinade

1½ tbsp whole allspice

1½ tbsp black peppercorns

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tbsp picked thyme leaves

6 spring onions, chopped (use the white part and most of the green)

3 small fresh red chillies or Scotch bonnet chillies (extra hot chillies for
the serious chilli lover), finely chopped

1½ tbsp dark brown sugar

3 tsp fine salt

¼ cup (60 ml) dark soy sauce

Juice of 2 limes

1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

For the marinade, wrap the allspice and peppercorns in a dry tea towel and pound with a heavy rolling pin to crush them. Tip into a blender and add the cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, spring onion, chilli, sugar, salt, soy sauce, lime juice and olive oil. Blend to form a coarse paste.

Scrape the marinade into a large glass bowl, add the chicken and, wearing disposable kitchen gloves, massage the marinade into the meat, making sure you also rub it underneath the skin. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least six hours, or overnight. (I slip the marinated chicken pieces into a large oven bag and fold it closed, so that the aromas do not transfer to other things in the refrigerator.)

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Select a baking dish large enough to hold the chicken pieces in a single layer and add the olive oil.

Tip the chicken into the oiled baking dish, reserving any marinade still in the oven bag or bowl to brush on the chicken later. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer easily penetrates the thickest part of one of the thigh pieces. It can be prepared to this stage one hour before barbecuing. Keep in a cool place, covered tightly. If longer, then refrigerate, allowing extra time on the barbecue for the pieces to become really hot in the centre.

Just before serving, heat a barbecue to high heat, brush the chicken with any leftover marinade, then sear, turning for 15 minutes, until slightly charred and crisp on all sides and thoroughly hot right to the centre of each piece and the marinade is heated through. Serve at once.