Grilled Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa

It’s been a while since I made this Grilled Jerk Chicken (which I found on Epicurious years ago), and I’d forgotten how much I love the traditional Jamaican dish. It’s the perfect combination of smoky, sweet and spicy, and the Mango Salsa adds a citrusy and fruity freshness. I served it with brown rice with lime and cilantro, which was Max’s suggestion, and it was so much better than the plain brown rice I’d planned to make. I only marinated the chicken for two hours since I decided last minute to make this dish (surprise, surprise), but marinating it overnight is even better.

Note: I used all thighs this time around, which I personally prefer. And the recipe suggests a papaya salsa, but I made a mango salsa.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

For chicken:

• 4 chicken breast halves with skin and bones (3 pounds), halved crosswise

• 2 1/2 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks

For marinade:

• 3 scallions, chopped

• 4 large garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 4 to 5 fresh Scotch bonnet or habanero chiles, stemmed and seeded

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt

• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

• 2 teaspoons ground allspice

• 2 teaspoons black pepper

• 3/4 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation

1. Blend all marinade ingredients in a blender until smooth.

2. Divide chicken pieces and marinade between 2 sealable plastic bags. Seal bags, pressing out excess air, then turn bags over several times to distribute marinade. Put bags of chicken in a shallow pan and marinate, chilled, turning once or twice, 1 day.

3. Let chicken stand at room temperature 1 hour before cooking.

4. Preheat grill on high, then adjust heat to moderate. Cook chicken until well browned on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust heat to low and cook chicken, covered with lid, until cooked through, about 25 minutes more.

5. Serve chicken with salsa (recipe below).

Ingredients

For Mango Salsa:

• 2 mangos, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

• 1 red pepper, diced

• 1/2 red onion, chopped

• 1 small garlic clove, minced

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• 2 tbsps. chopped cilantro

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

1. Mix ingredients together and serve with chicken.