Wheat Free Thyme Jerk Chicken
Bold, smoky, and loaded with Caribbean heat, this jerk chicken delivers serious depth of flavor from a marinade built on fresh thyme, allspice, cinnamon, Scotch bonnet peppers, and a squeeze of lime. The key to keeping it completely free of wheat is swapping out conventional soy sauce for tamari, which brings that same savory, umami punch without any gluten-containing grains sneaking in. It's one of those swaps that's easy to miss on a restaurant menu or in a store-bought spice blend, so making the marinade yourself from scratch puts you fully in control. The paste comes together in a blender in about 30 seconds, and the longer you let the chicken sit in it ā ideally overnight ā the more the bold spices work their way into every bite. Grilling over medium-high heat gives the skin that deeply charred, slightly caramelized crust that makes jerk chicken so irresistible, while the reserved marinade gets brushed on during cooking for an extra layer of flavor. A final rest on the cutting board keeps the meat juicy all the way through. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime and a scatter of scallion greens, and you've got a showstopper that tastes like it took way more effort than it did.
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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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