Jerk Chicken
Hot, sweet, earthy, bright, smoky and spicy – a good jerk recipe is all that and more, including deliciously complex and amazingly easy.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Nutritional Bonus: Thanks to the chicken, this recipe is a fantastic source of niacin – just 1 serving provides over 100% of your recommended daily intake. Also known as vitamin B3, niacin performs several critical functions in the body, such as helping convert food into energy.
We independently source all of the products that we feature on cleaneatingmag.com. If you buy from the links on our site, we may receive an affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 1/2 lb)
- 1 small yellow onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 Scotch bonnet or habanero chile peppers, stemmed, halved lengthwise and seeded, plus additional slices for garnish
- 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch spears, plus additional for garnish
- 4 large cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 3 tbsp high-heat cooking oil (such as sunflower, safflower, peanut or grape seed oil), plus additional as needed for grill
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (TRY: San J Reduced-Sodium Tamari)
- 2 tbsp Sucanat
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, whole
- 2 tsp ground allspice (TRY: Simply Organic Allspice)
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper (TRY: Simply Organic Ground Black Pepper)
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon (TRY: Simply Organic Ground Cinnamon)
- 3/4 tsp fresh grated or ground nutmeg (TRY: Simply Organic Ground Nutmeg)
- 1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt or nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- Lime wedges for garnish
Preparation
- Divide chicken among 2 large resealable plastic bags; set aside.
- In a blender, combine onion, chile peppers, scallions, garlic, lime juice, oil, soy sauce, Sucanat, thyme, allspice, salt, black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Blend into a purée, stopping to scrape down jar as necessary. Transfer 1/4 cup mixture to a small bowl and set aside. Add remaining mixture to bags with chicken, dividing evenly. Squeeze out as much air from bags as possible and seal tightly. Massage bags to evenly distribute marinade throughout and refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight.
- Meanwhile, whisk yogurt into reserved onion mixture until combined. Cover and refrigerate until needed. (MAKE AHEAD: Sauce can be made up to 1 day in advance.)
- Thirty minutes before cooking, remove chicken and yogurt sauce from refrigerator and set aside at room temperature.
- Heat grill to medium-high and lightly oil grate. Remove chicken from bags, shaking off excess marinade; discard marinade. Grill, turning once, until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a large plate, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with yogurt sauce and garnish, if desired.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1 chicken breast and 4 tsp sauce
- Calories 315
- Carbohydrate Content 10 g
- Cholesterol Content 110 mg
- Fat Content 10 g
- Fiber Content 1.5 g
- Protein Content 46 g
- Saturated Fat Content 2 g
- Sodium Content 503 mg
- Sugar Content 5.5 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 2 g