Pregnancy Friendly Thyme Jerk Chicken
Bold, smoky, and layered with warm spice, this jerk chicken delivers serious Caribbean flavor built entirely from scratch ā no store-bought jerk paste with mystery additives or preservatives to second-guess. The marinade leans on fresh thyme, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and a hit of lime juice, so every ingredient is visible and intentional, which matters when you're being more careful about what goes into your meals. Garlic-infused oil stands in for raw garlic, giving you all that deep savory backbone without the raw allium, and the scallion green tops keep things bright and aromatic. The Scotch bonnet peppers are seeded, so you get the fruity heat without going overboard ā though you can dial back to one pepper if you prefer a gentler kick. Bone-in, skin-on thighs and drumsticks are grilled to a proper 165Ā°F internal temperature, so you can feel confident every piece is fully cooked through. A final brush of reserved marinade just before the chicken comes off the grill builds a gorgeous, caramelized crust that makes this look and taste like serious restaurant-level cooking. Squeeze a little lime over everything at the table and you've got a showstopper dinner that's as satisfying to make as it is to eat.
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Learn more āIngredients
4 servings
For the chicken
- 3 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks)
Ingredient noteCook all poultry thoroughly when pregnant.
- 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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