Boldly flavored, sweet-and-spicy, this jerk chicken recipe takes the "boring" out of chicken! It's an easy weeknight recipe that I make over and over again because it's incredibly flavorful.
I was initially inspired to make jerk chicken back in 2015, when reading chef Marcus Samuelsson's memoir, "Yes, Chef." Mr. Samuelsson mentions "jerk seasoning" in the book. A quick search taught me that this Jamaican seasoning is made of an interesting list of various spices. The following recipe is my own interpretation and is based on this recipe by Aaron McCargo Jr.
Ingredients and Variations
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
- Coconut oil: Refined oil is best given the high oven temperature. You can also use avocado oil or ghee.
- Honey: Just two tablespoons, ensuring the seasoning is not too sweet. Maple syrup is a good substitute for honey. You can use just one tablespoon of honey if you'd like to lower the carb count.
- Chicken: I usually use chicken drumsticks, leaving the skin on. You can also use skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs. They'll need around 45 minutes in the oven. Check with a thermometer to make sure they are done, aiming for an internal temperature of 165°F when not touching the bone. The photo below, taken in 2025 (ten years after I started making this recipe!), shows a plate with jerk chicken thighs.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Combine all the ingredients except for the chicken to make a flavorful seasoning paste. Spread the paste all over the chicken.
Bake the chicken until cooked through, basting it with the cooking liquids midway through cooking.
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
Recipe Tips
- If the seasoning paste hardens on the cold chicken pieces and is impossible to spread, bake the chicken for 5 minutes to soften the paste and then spread it, as I do in the video below. Continue baking, basting one more time midway, until the chicken is cooked through. A good way to prevent this from happening is to remove the chicken to the counter 30 minutes before you start making the recipe.
- In my old oven, the chicken needed 45 minutes in the oven. In my new and hotter oven, it needs 35 minutes, and I need to loosely cover the chicken with foil after the first 30 minutes. Ovens vary in their temperature, so please adjust the recipe to your own oven.
- When I'm feeling especially lazy, I spray chicken pieces with avocado oil, sprinkle them with a store-bought dry jerk seasoning mix, and bake. It's not as good as the more elaborate version, and store-bought seasoning tends to be too sweet for my palate, but it's still delicious and so easy. The photo below shows chicken thighs I made this way.
Recipe FAQs
You can coat it in the spice blend and let it rest in the fridge for a few hours before baking, but it's not strictly necessary.
Despite the honey, a serving of this recipe has just 8 grams of carbs, and the honey adds great flavor and balances the other flavors. However, if you need this dish to be even lower in carbs, use a sugar-free honey substitute.
Yes. I sometimes do. You can use 1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon of store-bought jerk seasoning in addition to coconut oil, honey, salt, and pepper. The only caveat: the store-bought versions tend to be quite sweet, more than my version.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To avoid drying out the chicken, reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power, or enjoy them cold, picnic-style. The photo below shows the cold leftovers served with pickled vegetables.
Serving Suggestions
This is a truly versatile main dish that goes with anything. I like to serve it with mashed cauliflower or cauliflower rice, often with a leafy green vegetable such as steamed spinach or steamed broccoli.
It's also convenient to serve jerk chicken with a side dish that can be cooked in the same 400°F oven, like any of the following:
- Roasted frozen cauliflower
- Roasted asparagus
- Jicama fries
- Roasted carrots, as shown in the photo below (also on the plate: haricot verts).
Recipe Card
Oven-Baked Jerk Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil - melted
- 2 tablespoons honey - see notes below
- 1 tablespoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground
- 8 chicken drumsticks - 4 ounces each, skin-on
Optional garnish:
- 2 tablespoons parsley - or cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease the foil well. It's important to line the pan to prevent major cleanup as the honey caramelizes.
- In a small bowl, using a fork, combine the coconut oil, honey, allspice, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, cloves, cumin, salt, and pepper to make a paste.
- Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Blot them dry with paper towels. Spoon the paste on top, spreading it all over the chicken.
- Bake until the chicken is fragrant, browned, and cooked through, 35-40 minutes, depending on your oven (see notes below). Aim for an internal temperature of at least 165ºF. Baste the chicken midway through baking.
- Garnish the chicken with chopped parsley if desired, and serve.
Notes
- You can use eight skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs. They'll need around 45 minutes in the oven. Check with a thermometer to make sure they are done, aiming for an internal temperature of at least 165°F when not touching the bone.
- If the seasoning paste hardens on the cold chicken pieces and is impossible to spread, bake the chicken for 5 minutes to soften the paste and then spread it, as I do in the video below. Continue baking, basting one more time midway, until the chicken is cooked through (the internal temperature should reach 165 ºF), 30-35 more minutes. A good way to prevent this from happening is to remove the chicken to the counter 30 minutes before you start cooking.
- Check the chicken after the first 30 minutes in the oven. If it's darkening too much on top, loosely cover it with foil and continue baking until it's cooked through.
- To lower the carbs to 6 grams per serving, use just 1 tablespoon of honey.
- In my old oven, the chicken needed 45 minutes in the oven. In my new and hotter oven, it needs 35 minutes, and I need to loosely cover the chicken with foil after the first 30 minutes. Ovens vary in their temperature, so please adjust the recipe to your own oven.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To avoid drying out the chicken, reheat them very gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power, or enjoy them cold, picnic-style.
Nutrition per Serving
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Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
