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Jamaican Jerked Chicken is one of our main cuisines that is served at most functions in Jamaica. It’s one of those cuisines that you can fine when you drive along certain roads in Jamaica. People will set-up their little Jerk Shop and people can buy from them. Sometimes there are no restaurant that is near, so these people can do good business by selling food to passers by.

Jerked Chicken can either be baked in the oven or on a grill. I like to season my chicken the same day I take it home from the groceries. All my meats are soaked in vinegar water before seasoning. You can also soak your meat in lemon or lime juice water. I don’t like handling raw meat twice so I properly seasoned and put away in the freezer until I am ready to cook. The more it’s marinated, the better it is. Jerk chicken is all about the seasoning or spiced that is used to get that unique taste. It won’t be jerk chicken unless you use those unique blend of Jamaican spices. 

Jamaican Jerked Chicken (Oven And Grilled Baked)

Serving for 12-14 People (For less people split in half)

All Jamaican Jerk Seasoning can be found in the International Isle in any supermarket

4 whole chickens or 2×5 pounds bags of chicken quarters (thighs or legs)

2 tsp jerk season paste or powder to 1 pound of cut up chicken (season comes in hot, medium and mild in powder or paste)

1 tbsp browning sauce (depends on how dark you want you chicken) Adjust if needed

3 tsp all purpose season or 1 tsp salt

1/2 cup vinegar

12 cloves of garlic finely chopped or blended

1/4 cup cooking oil

1 or 2 baking pans (depending on how much meat you are preparing)

Preparation Oven Baked

(1) Thawed chicken overnight inside of refrigerator

(2) In a deep container add water and vinegar

(3) Put chicken to soak in vinegar water for about 10-15 minutes (you can leave the skin on for grill). I like to strip off when I do oven baked)

(4) Mix the garlic, browning and jerk paste, all purpose season or salt together and set aside

(5) Completely drain vinegar water off chicken

(6) Pour ingredient on chicken except cooking oil, use cooking gloves or if you don’t mind rubbing in those ingredient with your hand until it’s all mixed in

(7) Let the chicken marinates in the sauce for about 2 hours or overnight in the fridge

(8) When your are ready to cook, put you oven at 350-375 degrees and when the oven is heated up, lay your chicken in one or two baking pans

(9) Separate oil in two depended on how many baking pans are being used.

(10) Put oil over chicken and cover with foil to steam (the foil keeps the fluid in and allow the meat to cook)

(11) Remove foil after 30-40 minutes

(12) Continue baking until the chicken is brown, tender, juicy and cooked.

Grill Baked Chicken

Same ingredient preparation are used but a little different in preparing.

(1) If you are using whole chicken cut up in 4 pieces per chicken. Leave the skin on. Follow the same procedure in seasoning.

(2) Stick the chicken in the oven to par-cook for about 15-20 minutes so that when you grill, it will keep the moisture in.

(2) Prepare your grill as you would when you are doing a barbecue

(3) When grill is ready, lay out chicken as in the picture above, let it grill until it has that nice juicy brown look. When you take step 2 as in Grill Baked Chicken, you can use the juice from the chicken to marinate it.

Note: If you are going to use beer liquid on, try it first on a small amount to see if you like the flavor. When chicken is grilled you can cut up in smaller pieces

Oxtail is the tail of the cow! This is no different from eating the lean part of the cow. You can find this at many supermarket in the United States or farmer’s market in your area. You may be a little bit surprise how expensive this meat is, but it’s worth it once-in-awhile. One of the ways that Jamaicans cook this meat is by adding lima beans when preparing. Below is a dish and recipe that I made without the lima beans.

Recipe For Oxtail

Serving for 4-6 People

• 3 lbs oxtail
• 6 cloves garlic chopped
• 4 stalks escallion chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp all purpose season
• 1 tsp jerk powder (optional)
• 2 tsp browning
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• 5 cups water
• Preparation
• (1) Add vinegar to water and wash oxtail and drained
• (2) Season oxtail with garlic, escallion, onion, black pepper, browning and all purpose season or salt, jerk powder optional
• (3) Marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• (4) When ready to cook, heat oil in pot
• (5) Scrape off all seasoning from the oxtail and put season aside
• (6) Put oxtail in hot oil and let it brown turning over periodically.
• (7) When the oxtail is fully brown add 3 cups of water and let it cook for about 30 minutes
• (8) Add additional cups of water and continue to simmer for another 1 1/2 hour or until meat is tender
• (9) When meat is tender and liquid is left to about 1 cup, add seasoning that was set aside and mixed in
• ( 10) Continue cooking on low heat until gravy starts thickening.
• Note: You can add sliced carrots, canned kidney beans or sliced irish potatoes when you add seasoning.

Curried shrimp is a very loved dish in Jamaica, but not all homes will make this dish, as it can be an expensive dish to make. You may find that shrimp are more expensive than some fish and some people would rather buy fish. You may find curried shrimp dinner in some of the restaurants or hotels. There are many ways to cook shrimp but below is one of my favorite way. 

2 lbs pack frozen cooked shrimp (check expiration date)

4 tbsp vinegar

1/4 cup oil or butter 

1 whole lemon

1 1/2 tsp season salt

1 tsp jerk season powder or mixture (optional)

1 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp curry powder

1 large onion (cut up)

4 stalk escallion (chopped)

10 cloves garlic (minced)

2 large like sweet pepper or (4 mini sweet pepper) chopped

1 cup chopped large or baby carrot (optional)

Preparation:

(1) Keep shrimp in refrigerator until it’s thawed out. Mixed vinegar with water to cover the amount of shrimp, then put back in refrigerator until seasoning is being prepared

(2) Combine curry all other dried ingredient together and set aside

3) Chop up onion, escallion and garlic and set aside

(4) Slice lemon in thin slices 

(5) Take shrimp out of refrigerator and pour off water

(6) Get season mixture and rub in shrimp like picture above

(7) Heat up your butter or oil in a skillet until it’s hot (do not burn butter or oil)

(8) When oil is ready pour shrimp in and sauté

9) Keep turning until shrimp is properly sautéed and with a nice yellowish color

(10) Pour in chopped garlic along with the onion, escallion and lemon slices

(11) Turn stove on medium and let simmer until lemon skin is tender and garlic is cooked

(12) Now your Garlic Lemon Curried Shrimp is ready to be served

Jamaicans loves fish and there are several ways it is being prepared. One of the most popular way is the escoveitched. In preparing the escovetched fish we use vinegar, sweet pepper, scotch bonnet pepper (very spicy or hot), carrot, onion, pimento and vinegar. Some of these ingredients are optional.

Jamaican Escoveitched Fish

Fried Fish Without Vinegar Sauce

Recipe

3 lbs fish

1/2 cup flour (optional)

1/4 cup vinegar

1/2 cup water

Oil for frying (should be about 1/2 inch deep in frying pan)

1 pinch of salt

1 cup carrot strips (optional)

1 large onion (cut into rings)

1 large sweet pepper or 2 mini sweet pepper (different color for creativity)

1/2 tsp jerk season powder (instead of scotch bonnet pepper for the spicy flavor)

12 pimento seeds (optional)

Preparation

(1) Combine a mixture of pinch of salt and water solution (taste water solution-not too salty)

(2) Soak fish in solution for about 8 minutes.

(3) Take fish out of solution and properly dried with paper towel (roll in flour optional) Note: If oil is properly heated, flour is not needed.

(4) Heat oil in pot 1/2 inch deep and put fish in to fry ( don’t burn oil) Note: Gently put fish in the oil to prevent splashing

(5) When fish is properly fried like picture above, take out of oil and set aside

(6) Take another pot and prepare the 1/2 cup of water, 1/4 cup vinegar, and all the other ingredients

(7) Take 3 tbsp of the used oil and pour in the pot with the other ingredients and sauté for about 6 minutes

(8) Take all the sauté ingredients out the gravy and spread some over the fried fish and set aside.

Fried Fish Without Vinegar Sauce

(9) Take out vegetable without the sauce and spread over fish (second picture above)

Curried chicken is one of our main cuisines and is cooked in most homes. People from all over the world may have eaten curried chicken in their country of original because many Jamaicans have opened restaurant in many areas overseas. It’s a delicious dish that is seasoned with blends of herb and spices. You will find this dish in the hotels on your next trip Jamaica.

Yummy Curried Chicken Dinner

Recipe

Serves 8-10 People

4-5 lbs bag chicken parts or 2 whole chicken

1/4 cup vinegar or 2 lime or lemons

6 cloves of garlic or (2 tsp garlic powder)

2 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 medium onion

4 stalks escallion (chopped)

1 tsp all purpose season

3 tbsp cooking oil

2 cups water

1 tsp jerk sauce or jerk powder (optional)

6-8 medium potatoes (each cut up in quarters)

Preparation:

(1) Cut up whole chicken in 2-3 inch pieces (if using cut up chicken thighs or legs cut each piece in 2)

(2) Mix vinegar with water and soak chicken in mixture for about 5 minutes

(2) Combine curry, turmeric, all purpose season, jerk season and black pepper

(3) Chopped onion, escallion, garlic and combine together

(4) Heat pot with oil on low fire, add combined curry ingredience and stir for 2 minutes then let it cool (reason for cooking curry is that it brings the color out more)

(5) Drain water off chicken and add combine curry mixed and rub into chicken.

(6) Put back in refregerator for another hour.

(7) Heat oven to 350 degree, when oven is hot, stick the seasoned chicken in baking container with cooking oil, water and cover with foil for 30-40 minutes.

(8) Remove foil and add chopped onion, escallion and garlic and chopped potatoes, and let it simmers until chicken and potatoes is cooked.

Note: Usually when meat is put in the oven and covered with foil, there is liquid built up, so you would add less water to finish cooking the meat and to form a gravy.

Stove Top Cooking

(1) Follow all steps from 1-6

(2) Pour out chicken in pot and put stove on medium

(3) Turn chicken periodically for about 10 minutes.

(4) Pour 2 cups of water on chicken along with potatoes, combine onion, escallion and garlic

(5) Turn down stove to low and let it simmers until potatoes and meat is cook and the gravy is a little bit thick.

Note: All Purpose Season and Jerk Season has salt! Amend accordingly!

This dish is one of Jamaicans loved cuisines, but do not eat it on a regular basis because the salted one is very expensive. This cuisine can be eaten for breakfast or dinner. The unsalted one is harder to get which is much cheaper. This dish can be eaten for lunch or dinner. The dish below is made from unsalted mackerel (mackerel fish). I can get the same or better result from the unsalted one, which is much cheaper. I also like to use the unsalted one because I can control the amount of salt intake.

• Recipe
• With this recipe I am using unsalted mackerel fish but you can use the salted mackerel but will have to soak out most of the salt
• 1 lb mackerel fish
• 1 medium size onion
• 1 plum tomatoes (decent on size)
• 1 tsp all purpose seasoning or ordinary season salt (none for salted mackerel)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 small sweet pepper or 1 large
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp jerk season powder (optional)
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• Preparation salted mackerel
• (1) If you are using salted mackerel, it’s best to soak overnight. If that not possible wash off mackerel in cold water to get off some of the salt
• (2) Put mackerel in cold water adding the lime juice or vinegar
• (3) Soak for about 2-3 hours
• (4) Boil water in a pot and put mackerel in to cook for about 10 minutes
• (5) Throw off boiling water and put back in cold water to remove heat from mackerel.
• (6) Remove skin, head and debone mackerel (many people leaves head and skin on)
• (7) Make sure all bones are removed
• (8) Add all chopped seasoning, black pepper, garlic powder and (jerk powder optional) to prepared mackerel and stir in
• (9) Hot oil in frying pan and pour in seasoned mackerel turning over couple times.
• (10) Let is simmer for about 8 minutes.

Preparing unsalted mackerel fish

(1) Put mackerel in cold water adding the lime juice or vinegar
(3) Soak for about 10 minutes
(4) Boil water in a pot and put mackerel in to cook for about 10 minutes
(5) Throw off boiling water and put back in cold water to remove heat from mackerel.
(6) Remove skin, head and debone mackerel (many people leaves head and skin on)
(7) Make sure all bones are removed
(8) Add all chopped seasoning, black pepper, garlic powder and (jerk powder optional) to prepared mackerel and stir in
(9) Hot oil in frying pan and pour in seasoned mackerel turning over couple times.
(10) Let is simmer for about 8 minutes.

Mackerel is ready and can be eaten with sweet potato, yam, green banana and dumpling.

Jamaicans eats rice and peas with most meat kind. It’s a loved dish by most Jamaicans. One of the biggest rice and peas day is on Sundays. Almost every homes in Jamaica cooks rice and peas with either kidney beans or rice and gungo peas (pigeon peas) with coconut milk. Jamaicans used the gungo peas dry or green. Both can go great with white rice or brown rice.

Recipe:

Serve 4-6 People

1/4 cup dried red peas or 1 tin pigeon peas. (Pigeon peas is already cooked)

2 cups rice (white or brown rice)

2 stalks escallion chopped or crushed

3 cloves of garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried or 2 sprigs of thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp all purpose seasoning

1 pack dried coconut powder or 1 tin coconut milk

water for peas or pigeon (gango)

Preparation For Dry Peas

(1) If dried peas are used wash well in cold water

(2) Soak peas for 2 hrs or overnight in 5 cups of water and boil in same water until peas is medium cooked

(3) When peas is medium cooked, add coconut and boil for 10 minutes

(4) Add all seasoning to the peas

(5) Properly wash rice and drain water off

(6) Follow Ratio of liquid to rice: (1 cup of white rice = 2 cups of liquid or 1 cup of brown rice = 2 1/ 4 cups of liquid).

(7) Add rice to peas liquid and stir once, keep on medium heat

(8) When rice is almost cooked and not much liquid is visible, turn stove on low

(9) It is not advisable to keep stirring rice or keep adding water (rice should be firm when cooked and not saggy or soft)

Preparation For Gungo (Pigeon) Peas in Tin

(10) Open tin, pour liquid off, rinse in water (this allows preservative to be washed off)

(11) Properly wash riced and drain

(12) Add the amount of water equivalent to rice as in (6) in a pot, add peas, coconut milk, and all seasoning

(13) Bring to boil peas on medium heat, then add rice, stir everything together once

(14) When rice is almost cooked and not much liquid is visible, turn stove on low

(15) It is not advisable to keep stirring rice or keep adding water (rice should be firm when cooked and not saggy or soft)

(16) Rice should be cooked and you can stir rice at this point before serving