Jamaican Jerk Chicken Burger with Orange-Ginger Glaze

About This Recipe

Jerk seasoning is Jamaica's most famous culinary export, a fiery, deeply aromatic marinade built on Scotch bonnet, allspice (called pimento in Jamaica), thyme, scallion and ginger, traditionally used on chicken or pork slow-smoked over pimento wood. This burger takes that same jerk marinade and applies it to a ground chicken patty, a format you'd find at Jamaican food festivals and jerk stands looking to put jerk flavor into a handheld sandwich. A quick orange-ginger glaze brushed on near the end of cooking adds a sticky sweetness that balances jerk's heat, echoing the sweet-spicy combinations common in Caribbean cooking, like jerk paired with a fruity slaw or pineapple. Getting real char on the patty, whether on a grill or in a very hot skillet, matters since that smoky, slightly blackened crust is a defining characteristic of proper jerk cooking. This is a modern, festival-inspired format built on genuine jerk flavor, not a traditional Jamaican dish on its own, but an honest way to bring that recognizable spice blend into a burger.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gground chicken
• 3scallions(minced)
• 2 tbspfresh ginger(grated, divided)
• 1Scotch bonnet pepper(minced, adjust to taste)
• 1.5 tspground allspice
• 1 tspfresh thyme leaves
• 1.5 tspfine sea salt
• 0.33 cuporange juice
• 2 tbsphoney
• 1 tbsporange zest
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 4burger buns

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the patties

   Combine ground chicken, scallions, half the ginger, Scotch bonnet, allspice, thyme and salt in a bowl. Mix gently and form into 4 patties.

2. 2

   Make the glaze

   In a small saucepan, combine orange juice, honey, orange zest and remaining ginger. Simmer 5 minutes until slightly syrupy.

3. 3

   Cook the patties

   Heat oil in a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook patties 5-6 minutes per side until well charred and cooked through to 74C (165F).

4. 4

   Glaze

   In the last minute of cooking, brush the orange-ginger glaze generously over both sides of each patty, letting it caramelize slightly.

5. 5

   Assemble

   Toast the buns and build burgers with the glazed patties. Serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Use ground pork instead of chicken for a richer, fattier jerk burger.

• •

  Add pickled pineapple as a topping for extra sweetness and acidity.

• •

  Make it milder by using just a quarter of the Scotch bonnet, or omit it and add a milder chili powder instead.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked patties up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat gently in a skillet over low heat; the glaze can be reheated separately and brushed on fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions