12-16 pieces of chicken (a mixture of thighs (bone-in) and drumsticks (skin-on), deeply slashed a few times with a sharp knife
For the marinade
- 8 tsp allspice berries
- 5 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken into shards
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 5 tsp thyme leaves
- 8 spring onions, roughly chopped, bulb discarded
- 1-2 scotch bonnet peppers, deseeded
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled
- 6 tsp sea salt
- 8 dried bay leaves, crushed
- 2 tsp grated nutmeg
- ½ thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp demerara sugar
- 3 tsp honey
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp rapeseed oil
In a dry frying pan, on a low heat, toast the allspice berries, peppercorns, cinnamon shards and coriander seeds, shaking the pan often, for a couple minutes until the aroma of the spices is released.
Pop the spices into a pestle and mortar and bash until broken down into a grainy powder (don't worry about the cinnamon shards, the food processor will deal with those).
Place all the remaining marinade ingredients into the food processor and blitz until you have a fairly smooth paste.
Put the chicken pieces and the jerk marinade in a large freezer bag then tie it closed, pushing out all the air, but allowing enough room to move the chicken around. (You may need to divide the marinade and chicken between two bags, depending on its size). Massage the jerk marinade deep into the chicken slashes and leave to marinate overnight, in the fridge.
If you are barbecuing the chicken, add some wood chips to the coals (this will give you a more authentic flavour). When the barbecue is ready, brown the chicken pieces over the hottest part of the barbecue, then move the chicken to the edge of the grill, to the low, indirect heat. Pop the lid on and cook for about 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally, until the juices run clear and the chicken is cooked through.
