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Grilled Jerk Chicken Thighs

Name: Grilled Jerk Chicken Thighs
Prep time: 44 min
Total time: 2 h 49 min
Cuisine: Caribbean
Ingredients: boneless chicken — 907 g; scallions — 400 g; yellow onion — 110 g; poblano chiles — 200 g; garlic — 12 g; ginger — 15 g; thyme — 7 g; brown sugar — 25 g; soy sauce — 30 g; vegetable oil — 27 g; lime juice — 30 g; allspice — 10 g; cinnamon — 5 g; nutmeg — 3 g; salt — 5 g; black pepper — 3 g

Grilled Jerk Chicken Thighs reads umami 6.3, sourness 5.4 and salinity 5.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Caribbean main, about 2 hr 49 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 7.1 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 4.2 / 10
Sour & Bright — 7.0 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.1 / 10
Rich & Fat — 2.8 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 5.2 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.3 · Sourness 5.4 · Salinity 5.1 · Citrus 5.1 · Allium 4.5 · Sweetness 3.9 · Warm Spice 3.1 · Funk & Ferment 2.5 · Herbaceous 2.5 · Richness 2.4 · Heat 1.8 · Earthy 1.7 · Bitterness 1.6 · Floral 1.5 · Smoke 1.3 · Nutty 1.2 · Fruity 1.0

What's in it (16)

boneless chicken — 907 g
scallions — 400 g
yellow onion — 110 g
poblano chiles — 200 g
garlic — 12 g
ginger — 15 g
thyme — 7 g
brown sugar — 25 g
soy sauce — 30 g
vegetable oil — 27 g
lime juice — 30 g
allspice — 10 g
cinnamon — 5 g
nutmeg — 3 g
salt — 5 g
black pepper — 3 g

Time & effort: about 2 hr 49 min (44 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 107.6 kcal, 16.3 g protein, 3.4 g fat, 3.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

In a blender or food processor, combine the scallions, onion, habanero chiles, garlic, ginger, thyme, brown sugar, soy sauce, oil, lime juice, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper; blend until mostly smooth, 30-45 seconds, scraping down the sides once.
Pat the chicken thighs dry and place them in a large zip-top bag or shallow dish; pour in the marinade, turn to coat every piece, seal, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight up to 24 hours.
About 30 minutes before grilling, pull the chicken from the refrigerator to take the chill off, and heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high (about 400-450°F), oiling the grates once hot.
Lift the chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip off (discard the remaining marinade), and lay the thighs presentation-side down on the grill.
Grill undisturbed until well-charred and the thighs release easily from the grates, 6-7 minutes.
Flip and grill the second side until deeply charred and an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F at the thickest part, 6-7 minutes more, sliding pieces to a cooler part of the grill if flare-ups threaten to blacken them too fast.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing or serving whole with lime wedges.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Jerk Chicken — Jamaican
Beef Kabobs Waikiki — American · Hawaiian
Jerk Pork — Jamaican
Black Bean Soup with Lime Crema — Mexican
Thai Coconut Vegetable Curry with Chickpeas — Thai

Keep reading: what umami, sourness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.