17 recipes using chicken — Jerk chicken, ackee & saltfish, rice and peas — fiery Caribbean soul food.
These 17 jamaican chicken recipes are ready in about 88 minutes on average, with 385–523 kcal per serving, and 24% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
Jamaican cuisine — Jerk chicken, ackee & saltfish, rice and peas — fiery Caribbean soul food — brings its own distinctive techniques and seasonings to every ingredient it touches. When Jamaican cooks work with chicken, they reach for its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are marinating, simmering, grilling and braising.
The world's most-cooked protein — mild, lean and endlessly adaptable to almost any spice profile or cooking method. In this collection it's most often cooked with garlic, onion, soy sauce, brown sugar, scallions and ground allspice. The dishes here span jamaican classics ready in as little as 38 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Reader favourite: Jamaican Jerk Chicken — Authentic Scotch Bonnet Spiced BBQ is the highest-rated dish in this collection at 4.9★ from 5,234 ratings.
Chicken marinated overnight in a fiery, deeply aromatic jerk paste of scotch bonnet, allspice, thyme and spring onion, then grilled or smoked to juicy, charred perfection. The taste of Jamaica.
Jamaica's iconic spiced grilled chicken — marinated in Scotch bonnet, allspice, thyme and soy, cooked over charcoal until smoky and charred.
Tender chicken pieces marinated in herbs and browning sauce, then braised in a rich, savoury brown gravy with thyme, allspice and scotch bonnet.
Slow-braised chicken in a rich, dark, spiced sauce — a comforting Jamaican home-cooking classic.
Jamaica's signature dish — chicken marinated in a fiery scotch bonnet, allspice, thyme, and ginger paste, then grilled over pimento wood.
Blue Mountain Sesame Lime Stew turns jamaican pantry flavors into a complete stew with chicken legs, allspice, thyme, Scotch bonnet and coconut, and a fresh thyme finish.
Negril Green Herb Salad turns jamaican pantry flavors into a complete salad with grilled chicken, allspice, thyme, Scotch bonnet and coconut, and a fresh thyme finish.
Jamaican Market Lemon Herb Rice Bowl brings jamaican flavor to a practical rice bowl built with chicken thighs, allspice, thyme, Scotch bonnet and coconut, and a fresh thyme finish.
Jamaican Mountain Green Herb Salad brings jamaican flavor to a practical salad built with grilled chicken, allspice, thyme, Scotch bonnet and coconut, and a fresh thyme finish.
Chicken marinated in a fiery scotch bonnet and allspice paste, grilled or smoked until charred, Jamaica's most iconic and beloved dish.
Chicken browned in a caramelized sugar base and braised with vegetables in a rich, savory gravy, a beloved Jamaican home-style dinner.
Grilled jerk chicken rolled in flatbread with mango, cabbage slaw and a cooling yogurt sauce, a portable take on Jamaica's iconic dish.
Jamaican curry chicken simmered in a fragrant curry sauce, finished with toasted sesame seeds for crunch.
Spicy Jamaican jerk chicken piled into a soft roll with a cooling citrus yogurt sauce.
Jamaican brown stew chicken marinated in garlic and lime, browned and roasted until deeply savory.
A smoky jerk-spiced chicken burger topped with a sweet orange-ginger glaze, festival-stand style.
Deeply savory chicken braised in a browned sugar-and-garlic sauce, a Jamaican holiday table staple.
Look for plump, pinkish flesh with no grey patches and a clean smell. Thighs stay juicier than breasts and forgive overcooking; bone-in, skin-on pieces deliver the most flavour.
Pat dry before searing for proper browning, and bring it to room temperature for 15 minutes so it cooks evenly. Marinades with acid or yoghurt tenderise lean breast meat.
Cook to an internal temperature of 74°C / 165°F — the juices should run clear and there should be no pink at the bone.
A lean, high-protein choice: a skinless breast delivers roughly 31 g of protein per 100 g with very little saturated fat.
Most of these 17 Jamaican chicken recipes are ready in around 88 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Jamaican Jerk Chicken Sandwich with Citrus Yogurt Sauce, takes about 38 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 285 minutes.
Across this collection they range from about 385 to 523 kcal per serving, averaging 460 kcal — Jamaican Market Lemon Herb Rice Bowl is the lightest option at 385 kcal.
Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 80 minutes. 24% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
In these recipes, chicken is most often paired with garlic, onion, soy sauce, brown sugar, scallions and ground allspice. Jamaican kitchens also lean on its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends.
Cook to an internal temperature of 74°C / 165°F — the juices should run clear and there should be no pink at the bone.
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