Published: February 2020 // Updated: July 2023
Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken is not an actual dish by any stretch of the imagination. Authentic Jamaican jerk chicken is grilled over a wood fire. But for the sake of a cooking challenge, we blended up some jerk seasoning and made spicy Caribbean-inspired chicken three ways.
If you don’t own a grill, then slow cooker jerk chicken or oven jerk chicken pass muster. But if you want authentic jerk chicken, you’ll want to make grilled jerk chicken … or visit Jamaica. Below you’ll find instructions for all 3 styles of cooking.
Jerk spices look like a long list of ingredients, but everything is just thrown in the blender. Jamaican Rice and Peas is a traditional side dish that can be made in your rice cooker. And you can serve a simple salad or salsa with cool cucumbers, pineapples, and/or mangos to balance the heat.
Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken
Ingredients
1 small onion, rough chopped
1/2 bunch scallions, rough chopped
2 Scotch bonnets, stemmed and seeded (or to taste, use habaneros if you can’t find Scotch bonnets)
2” piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime
4-5 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or drumsticks, or 6-8 chicken leg joints
Instructions
Make jerk seasoning by placing all ingredients, except for the chicken, in a blender or food processor. Blend to a paste.
Place chicken and jerk seasoning in a large, shallow dish and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours.
Place chicken in the slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through with a minimum internal temperature of 165°F (74°C): about 3 hours on HIGH, or 4 hours on LOW.
Position oven rack at the lowest position and heat broiler. Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Broil chicken until lightly charred and crisp, about 10-15 minutes. Turn the chicken over, broil another 5-10 minutes or until lightly charred and crisp on the second side. Serve with lime wedges.
Resource: Read more about how long to cook chicken in a slow cooker.
Grilled Jerk Chicken
While the slow cooker method above works in a pinch, you’ll miss the smoky flavor that grilling provides. Plus if you have the time to heat your oven broiler and brown the chicken after using a slow cooker, then you can just use your grill instead. It’s easy!
How to grill jerk chicken
Marinate the chicken as instructed above. Bring chicken to room temperature before grilling.
Prepare your grill. Soak wood chips, a few bay leaves, and 1 Tb whole allspice berries. Prepare and build a fire to one side of your grill. Place drained wood chips, leaves and berries on hot coals. Heat and clean the cooking grate. Open the bottom and top vents halfway.
Note, any wood chips you have on hand will work. But pimento wood (the tree that produces allspice) produces authentic jerk flavor.
Grill the chicken. Put chicken skin-side-up on the side of the grill away from the hot coals. Cover the grill, placing top vent holes directly over the chicken. Cook for 30 minutes. Prior to moving the chicken, lightly oil the grate over the coals using tongs and an oiled paper towel. Flip and move chicken skin-side-down directly over the hot coals. Grill about 10 minutes until well browned. Flip the chicken and continue cooking directly over the coals for about 15 more minutes until the chicken reaches the minimum temperature: 165°F (74°C) for breasts and at least 175°F (79.5°C) for thighs/drumsticks, see our article on BBQ Chicken for the higher temps we prefer.
Serious Eats offers a more involved method for recreating true jerk chicken.
Oven-baked Jerk Chicken
Marinate the chicken as instructed above.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Place marinated chicken pieces on baking sheet.
Bake the chicken. Cook about 45 minutes. Position oven rack in the lowest position and heat broiler. Broil chicken until lightly charred and crisp, about 10-15 minutes. If desired, turn the chicken over to crisp the second side.
Cooking Notes
If you don’t want to make jerk sauce from scratch, look for bottled Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning (available on Amazon) for authentic flavor and ingredients.
Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica. Chicken or pork is either dry-rubbed or marinated with a spicy mixture, then grilled. There are many variations of jerk marinade, but the primary flavors are scallions, allspice, thyme, and scotch bonnets. Other ingredients can include ginger, lime, garlic, soy sauce, onion, and sugar. Read more about the history of Jamaican jerk.
Scotch bonnet peppers are traditional in Jamaican cooking. If Scotch bonnets are hard to locate, habanero peppers are a variety of the same species. Use the peppers sparingly, as they are very hot. If you want to tone down the heat, use jalapeños or omit peppers altogether.
See Food & Wine for a jerk chicken recipe.
Leftover Jerk Chicken
Cook lots of chicken — or chicken and pork — and use the leftovers later in the week for a second dinner. Leftover jerk chicken is delicious on quesadillas, tacos, or in pasta. You can also use leftovers to make jerk chicken salad for sandwiches or wraps.
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