Grilled Jerk Chicken Sandwiches

I’ve been starting to get into Jamaican food a bit recently. Wow, it’s good! Spicy and hearty, deeply satisfying and with big punchy flavors, it’s not a cuisine for the faint-hearted. Of all the things I’ve been making recently, Grilled Jerk Chicken Sandwiches are possibly my favorite so far. Take marinated jerk chicken to a summer barbecue and watch it blow people’s socks off! But you can also make on a griddle pan in your kitchen – though be warned, it will get smoky…

What is Jerk Chicken?

Jerk chicken is a Jamaican street food in which spicy marinated chicken is grilled over charcoal. The jerk marinade is what gives the dish its name; a hot blend of chilis with spices. Jerk can be either a dry rub or a wet marinade, like we’re going to make here. Jerk originated with the indigenous people of the island, the Arawak or Taíno tribes and was adopted by successive waves of immigrants. Most notably, Jamaican Maroons, enslaved Africans who successfully rebelled or ran away, escaped into the countryside to mingle with the indigenous people and learn their culinary culture. Today, it stands as a dish with a proud heritage, mingling cultures to develop a distinctive and unique Jamaican identity.

To make grilled jerk chicken sandwiches, you need chicken, buns, and whatever other fillings you want to add in as well. You’ll also need a jerk marinade to give your chicken that authentic spicy flavor. While you can buy readymade jerk marinade from the store, a home made version is so much better – and of course you then know exactly what’s going into it as well.

How to Make Jerk Marinade

Like garam masala in India, or salsa in Mexico, everyone has their own special recipe for a jerk marinade. But there are a few things that are consistent. Firstly, and most importantly, all spice. This is not a spice blend but the name of a single spice. You might also see it labeled as “piment”. Secondly, chilis. This is not a dish made for caution – go wild. You want it spicy. If you can find Scotch bonnet chili peppers (I couldn’t, sadly) these are the best ones to use, bringing notes of tropical fruit along with the heat. But Scotch bonnets or not, you do need your chilis to be hot.

The rest of the ingredients are more flexible, but you do usually see some warming spices added in, along with fresh or dried thyme. Soy sauce is not traditional, but is a very common contemporary addition, adding savoriness to the sauce.

Making the marinade is as simple as mixing all the ingredients together – no need to cook it down or anything.

Then make sure the chicken is really well coated in the marinade, dipping it in and turning around, so it gets a good chance to really soak up that spicy taste. Now the hard bit – you have to wait! For maximum flavor, you need to leave it marinating for at least two hours, and preferably overnight. It is worth it, trust me!

Grilling the Jerk Chicken

After the chicken has marinated, it’s time to get grilling! Heat a ridged griddle pan over the highest flame you’ve got. If you have a BBQ, that’s even better. You want the pan already to be very hot when you add the chicken, skin side down at first. It will probably spit at you, so be careful. Turn your hood on as well – there will be a lot of smoke! Grill for about 3-4 minutes each side until cooked through and very dark and crisp on the outside.

I know you’re probably looking at these pictures and thinking that the chicken looks burned. And you’re right. But it’s meant to be that way. The marinade scorches onto the chicken and creates this incredible blackened crust which just tastes amazing. Don’t be afraid to let the grill get really hot and let your chicken blacken. You won’t be disappointed.

What to Serve with Grilled Jerk Chicken Sandwiches

You can add whatever else you like to the sandwiches. Personally, I think it needs something creamy and something sharp to set off all those spicy grilled flavors. I chose avocado for creaminess, fresh tomato slices for the acidity and coleslaw to hit both notes with creamy mayo and a dash of vinegar. But you could also try out fresh lettuce, sauerkraut, slices of apples or stone fruits, plaintain, or even add some extra hot sauce for a real spicy bite.

And More…

Looking for more spicy meat recipes? Try out one of these:

• Jamaican Beef Patties
• Bang Bang Chicken
• Charro Beans
• Japanese Beef Curry
• Chicken Burgers with Sriracha Mayo

Conclusion

Next time you want something spicy, give my Grilled Jerk Chicken Sandwiches a try. The blackened meat is full of flavor from the grill and the marinade, leading to some of the tastiest chicken I’ve ever made. Are you going to zing up the marinade or tone down the spice? Let me know in the comments how you like to eat your jerk chicken.