This is the dish that started it all for Chef Nicola Blaque — jerk chicken made the traditional Jamaican way, with a deep, flavorful marinade and smoky grilled finish. After years of perfecting the recipe and keeping it close, she now shares it for the first time. Brined, marinated, and grilled to perfection, it’s a soulful, heritage-rich dish meant to be savored.
recipe 
yields
Serves 4
This recipe calls for brining and marinating the chicken for 48 hours total before grilling.
½ cup kosher salt
¼ cup brown sugar
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2 oranges, sliced
2 lemons, sliced
1 large sweet onion, quartered
3 habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers, halved
4 bay leaves
6 fresh thyme sprigs
6 whole cloves
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
4-5 pounds bone-in dark meat chicken pieces
6 green onions, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves
2 habanero peppers (seeds removed for less heat)
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons liquid browning or molasses
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
½ teaspoon ground clove
6 fresh thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons neutral oil
Oil for grates
¼ cup beer (optional, Blaque uses Red Stripe)
2 sliced green onions for garnish
Rice and peas for serving
Note
For the brine:
For the marinade
For grilling
steps
- Brine the chicken: Fill a large pot with 1 quart of water and add all ingredients except chicken; bring to a simmer to dissolve. Cool completely, then add chicken. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Prepare the jerk marinade: Blend all ingredients with ¼ cup water. Reserve ¼ cup of marinade for basting.
- Marinate the chicken: Remove chicken from brine and pat dry. Coat with remaining jerk marinade. Massage marinade into meat and refrigerate for another 24 hours to deeply infuse flavors.
- Grill the chicken: Preheat grill to 360 degrees and oil grates. Grill chicken skin-side down for 30 to 45 minutes, turning occasionally. Baste with reserved marinade during grilling. Optionally brush ¼ cup of beer over the chicken while grilling. Garnish with sliced green onion and serve with rice and peas.
Date Published: 08.13.25
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Recipe by
Nicola Blaque of The Jerk Shack and Freight Fried Chicken in San Antonio, Texas -
Contributing City
San Antonio
