Brazil Nut Free Thyme Jerk Chicken
Bold, smoky, and layered with Caribbean heat, this jerk chicken delivers the kind of char-kissed depth that makes people ask for the recipe before they've even finished their plate. The marinade is built around fresh thyme, allspice, cinnamon, and fiery Scotch bonnet peppers blended into a fragrant paste that clings to every bone-in, skin-on piece overnight. Garlic-infused oil, tamari, maple syrup, and fresh lime juice round out the flavor with a balance of savory, sweet, and bright that feels anything but one-note. The technique of reserving a portion of the marinade for basting mid-grill is what pushes the skin from good to genuinely caramelized and deeply charred. Every ingredient here is naturally free from tree nuts of any kind ā no nut oils, no mixed spice blends with hidden additives, just whole spices and fresh aromatics you can verify yourself. It's the kind of dish that works just as well for a backyard cookout as it does for a weeknight dinner when you've had the foresight to marinate the night before. Finish with a squeeze of lime and a scatter of fresh scallion tops, and it's ready to impress.
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Learn more āIngredients
4 servings
For the chicken
- 3 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Ā½ tsp black pepper
For the jerk marinade
- 3 tbsp garlic-infused oil
- 6 scallions, green tops only, roughly chopped
- 1ā2 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, stemmed and seeded
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Ā½ tsp ground nutmeg
- Ā½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For serving
- lime wedges, for serving (optional)
- sliced scallion green tops, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels, then season all over with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Set aside while you make the marinade.
- 2
Combine the garlic-infused oil, scallion green tops, Scotch bonnet pepper(s), thyme, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, tamari, maple syrup, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, ginger, and 1 tsp kosher salt in a blender or food processor. Blend until a coarse, fragrant paste forms, about 30 seconds.
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