Description
This Slow Cooker Jamaican Jerk Chicken recipe delivers tender, flavorful chicken thighs infused with a vibrant blend of traditional jerk spices and a tangy, slightly sweet sauce. Perfect for an easy, hands-off meal that captures the bold essence of Caribbean cuisine.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Sauce
- 1 green onion, whole
- ½ yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 tsp. ground thyme
- ½ tsp. ground cloves
- ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp. ground allspice
Instructions
- Season Chicken: Season both sides of the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper to enhance the flavor before cooking.
- Sear Chicken: Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken thighs on both sides until browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. This step locks in moisture and adds a rich color but does not fully cook the chicken.
- Transfer to Slow Cooker: Place the browned chicken thighs into the slow cooker evenly spaced for consistent cooking.
- Prepare Sauce: In a food processor, combine the green onion, yellow onion, garlic, fresh ginger, lime juice, jalapeno pepper (with seeds removed for mild heat), soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, ground thyme, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, and ground allspice. Pulse until the mixture is smooth and well combined, creating the signature jerk sauce.
- Add Sauce: Pour the prepared jerk sauce evenly over the chicken thighs in the slow cooker, ensuring every piece is well coated with the flavorful mixture.
- Cook: Cover the slow cooker with its lid and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours, or until the chicken is tender, fully cooked, and infused with the bold jerk flavors.
- Serve: Once cooked, serve the Jamaican jerk chicken with your choice of sides such as rice, beans, or vegetables. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired for added freshness and color.
Notes
- Searing the chicken thighs before slow cooking adds depth of flavor and locks in juices but can be skipped if short on time.
- Remove the jalapeno seeds to moderate the heat; keep them if you prefer spicier chicken.
- This dish pairs well with steamed rice, fried plantains, or a fresh salad to balance the bold flavors.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
- Adjust the amount of brown sugar based on your desired sweetness level.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken thigh with sauce
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 110mg
