Air Fried Jerk Chicken
Total Time: 1 hr-24hr
Cook Time: 1 hr Feeds 4-5 people
Ingredients
3 lbs of chicken drum sticks
FOR JERK CHICKEN MARINADE (instead, you can use a whole bottle of walker woods jerk marinade for the marinade)
¼ ground allspice
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1.5 dried thyme
1 head of garlic rough chopped
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander
1 cup soy sauce
3 bay leaves
3 habaneros or scotch bonnet peppers
1 bunch scallions
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 squeezed limes
Tablespoon of MSG
Salt
Method
Liberally salt your chicken thighs and rub them in. Leave it uncovered in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours (minimum for an hour while you prep the marinade). This step will make your chicken exceptionally juicy and seasoned to the core, not to mention the ultra-crispy skin.
Cut up your scallions, garlic, thyme, limes and blend them with all the other marinade ingredients till you get a loose paste.
Mix them with drumsticks and make sure they are very well coated with the marinade. Cover and put in the fridge overnight for best results, minimum of an hour.
Put them in the air fryer and make sure not to overcrowd them, I did 6 at a time but my air fryer is pretty big. Air fry for 25-30 minutes at 400 F till they reach an internal temp of 185. If baking them, bake them at 400 for about an hour. Air fry is superior though.
Take out, let rest for 5-10 minutes, and serve with lime wedges and Jamaican rice and peas or Cilantro Lime rice (what I did) or dirty rice.
Background: Jamaican food has had my heart for the past couple of months. My friend Andrew and I always try to find the best spots around in LA, and by far the best ones are Inglewood. After trying all these places I really wanted to make it at home but not trying to copy them but try to put my own spin on it. Traditionally Jerk Chicken is a smokey chicken that is usually grilled. I decided to air fry in because the air fryer is the best invention since the internet. I also did the salt brine with chicken to achieve crispy skin. I have not had any crispy jerk chicken before because it is usually grilled so this was truly a delight. Also, the salt brine seasons the chicken straight to the bone. Next, I added MSG to add extra Umami. After trying this recipe I was extremely content with it. So I decided to meal prep it for the week, which has been one of my favorite meal preps I have ever done. And speaking of which when I’m done writing this recipe I'm going to reheat the chicken in the air fryer and be a happy little boy.
