Meat Smoke Fire

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Jerk Chicken Thighs

Jerk Chicken Thighs

There’s nothing quite like the bold, fiery flavours of jerk chicken, and cooking it over charcoal on the Big Green Egg finishes it perfectly. The smoky heat of the Egg pairs perfectly with the spicy, aromatic marinade, giving you juicy, tender chicken thighs with a crispy, charred exterior that’s packed with Caribbean flavour.

This recipe is all about building layers of taste—from a vibrant jerk marinade made with Scotch bonnet chillies, thyme, allspice and fresh herbs, to the gentle kiss of smoke from the Egg. Whether you’re cooking for a crowd or just spicing up a weeknight dinner, these jerk chicken thighs are a guaranteed hit.

Let’s fire up the Egg and bring a little island heat to your backyard.

Preparation Time: 2 hours to marinade the chicken thighs

Cooking surfaces

BBQ Temperature

220C

Ingredients

  • 1 or 2 scotch bonnet chillis, chopped
  • 3 spring onions, topped and tailed
  • 2½ cm, fresh ginger
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1½ tsp dried thyme
  • 1½ tsp allspice
  • ½ tsp fresh nutmeg, finely grated
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 limes, juice and zest
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Juice from 1 large orange, approx 3/4 cup
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ ground black pepper
  • 4 chicken thighs

    Method

    To marinade the chicken thighs

    1. Place all of the marinade ingredients into a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth.
    2. Put the chicken into a flat dish or bag.  Pour the marinade over the chicken and massage the chicken with the marinade.
    3. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.  For more flavour, you can prepare and refrigerate overnight.

    Cooking the chicken thighs

    1. Setup your Egg for a direct cook at 220°C with just the stainless steel grid.
    2. Lay the chicken on on the grill to cook.
    3. Cook until you can probe the pork, with a Thermapen and it reads 74°C or more. This will usually take about 20 minutes.
    4. Once at 74°C take off the grill and rest your chicken wrapped in foil for 5 to 15 minutes.
    5. We served with some Fried Plantain, Smoked Scotch Bonnet and Lime Salt and Mint Mojo to complete our Caribbean feast.

    Notes

    Always check the strength of your scotch bonnet peppers, we used 2 but next time, we’d reduce the quantity to 1 as it was hot, hot, hot!

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