Island Beach Chicken
I call it Island Beach Chicken because it mimics my favorite jerk chicken and just about any other chicken from island beachy destinations like Jamaica, the Bahamas, Virgin Islands or Barbados. They all use a spicy, highly seasoned mojo and grill over live fire.
I call it Island Beach Chicken because it mimics my favorite jerk chicken and just about any other chicken from island beachy destinations like Jamaica, the Bahamas, Virgin Islands or Barbados. They all use a spicy, highly seasoned mojo and grill over live fire.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/4 cup red onion diced
- 1 whole chicken cut into pieces (or 8 bone in thighs, 4 leg quarters, etc.)
- 1 roasted red bell pepper (i used a jarred pepper which is about 1/4 cup)
- 1 ea habanero pepper seeded and diced (wear gloves, trust me)
- 1/4 cup green bell pepper diced
- 1 ea green onion diced
- 1/4 cup yellow onion diced
- 1/4 cup parsley diced
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- Carbohydrate 5.79633750108181 g
- Cholesterol 115 mg
- Fat 59.2506692701466 g
- Fiber 1.0449499824412 g
- Protein 29.254065000054 g
- Saturated Fat 8.97727567340469 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (263g)
- Sodium 505.217916666924 mg
- Sugar 4.75138751864061 g
- Trans Fat 3.62970933789003 g
- Calories 673 calories
Step-by-step
- Take all of the ingredients except the chicken and put in your blender or food processor. Blend/process until smooth.
- Marinate the chicken with the mixture for 4-8 hours.
- Set up your grill for a medium heat (350f) direct cook. That takes about 1 chimney full of Kingsford Charcoal for my charcoal grill. (The grill I use other than our two Big Green Eggs, which use lump coal.)
- Grill for 8-12 minutes per side. I spend much more time turning these throughout the cooking time compared to a steak when I say the less turning the better. Don''t be afraid of a little char but keep them turned as needed.
- Remove when the thighs are 170 F and the breasts are 160 F. Normally this will take 8-12 minutes as noted above but on a colder, breezy day it took almost 30 minutes total grilling time to get the biggest pieces to the proper internal temperature. That''s why it is important to cook by temps, not time.
- Serve with pigeon peas and rice http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/169421/arroz-con-gandules-rice-and-pigeon-peas
Allowing the chicken to rest in the acid-heavy marinade for four to eight hours transforms the surface proteins before heat ever touches the meat. Citrus juices like lime and orange contain citric acid that gently denatures exterior muscle fibers, but prolonged exposure beyond eight hours breaks down the tissue excessively, turning the outer layer mushy. Balancing this chemical softening requires precise control over the contact window, ensuring the poultry absorbs aromatic oils from the habanero and garlic without losing structural integrity.
Carribean seasoning traditions rely heavily on live-fire methods derived from indigenous Taíno barbacoa techniques, which later merged with African preservation practices across Jamaica, Barbados, and neighboring islands. Blending raw aromatics like onions, parsley, and bell peppers directly into an oil-and-citrus base creates a traditional wet marinade designed to adhere to skin-on cuts. Fat acts as a carrier for fat-soluble flavor compounds found in dried thyme and capsaicin-rich peppers, distributing them evenly across irregular poultry surfaces.
Managing a 350-degree Fahrenheit direct coal fire requires frequent flipping every few minutes to prevent sugars from the citrus and onions from scorching before the interior reaches safety thresholds. Dark meat cuts like bone-in thighs demand a higher target of 170 degrees Fahrenheit to render collagen completely, whereas white meat breasts dry out quickly and should be pulled off the grates at 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Weather variables such as ambient wind speeds will alter total cooking time significantly, making a digital probe thermometer mandatory.
Purchasing a whole chicken and breaking it down manually yields significant financial savings compared to buying pre-separated portions like bone-in thighs or leg quarters individually. Carving the bird yourself also provides leftover frames for stock production, ensuring zero kitchen waste from the animal. Utilizing jarred roasted red bell peppers as a pantry shortcut retains the necessary smoky sweetness of the profile without requiring an extra roasting step.
