I think I may have finished my last Buffalo wing since these jerk chicken wings are so flavorful, unique, and amazing. I didn’t want to say that, but these are incredible and have the ideal ratio of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy. Although I normally don’t mind if you make changes to my recipes, I do ask that you don’t make any to the essential ones, which are all of them.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 50 mins |
| Additional Time: | 8 hrs 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 9 hrs 10 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- 3 habanero peppers, seeded and chopped
- ½ cup green onions, sliced
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 pounds chicken wing drumettes
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Place yellow onion, habanero peppers, green onions, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, fresh thyme, brown sugar, oil, salt, black pepper, allspice, dried thyme, cinnamon, cumin, and nutmeg into a blender. Blend until marinade is completely smooth.
- Place chicken drumettes into a large bowl. Pour marinade over chicken and toss to coat completely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.
- Arrange chicken evenly on the prepared baking sheet; reserve marinade in the bowl.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Brush 1/2 of the reserved marinade onto chicken, then turn over. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Turn chicken over and brush with remaining reserved marinade. Continue baking until tender and caramelized, 10 to 15 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Rest chicken on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a serving platter.
- You can marinate the wings for 2 hours at room temperature, turning every 15 minutes, instead of marinating in the refrigerator overnight.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 253 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 11 g |
| Cholesterol | 48 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 17 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Sodium | 1463 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 16 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Chef John. Thanks for sharing this tasty recipe. I didn’t have wings on hand, but the drumsticks I prepared came out great. I followed the recipe, but should have worn gloves for handling the extra hot habañero peppers. I paired with Caribbean rice and avocado/mango salsa for a “make again” result.
Photo may not be appealing but followed exact directions. Amazing.
This image is while the wings are marinating. I forgot to get a picture after cooked. The flavor is delicious. I plan to make them again and I will take a picture once cooked. Highly recommend this recipe. I did not change anything. I cooked longer to get crispy. I’m going to use this recipe to make cauliflower wings for one of the guests we are having as well.
Chef John is brilliant!
fabulous recipe, I didn’t change anything but I did add something. My friend from Jamaica suggested I add coconut milk to the marinade and it turned out fantastic.
I was a little afraid to try these because of the peppers! Glad I did Tho! Soo good! Thanks Chef John!
Yeah dude! Thank you, I just followed your recipe and that was fantastic man thank you!
When I told my husband I was making jerk chicken for dinner, he said “we have jerk seasoning” and I said “no”. When he finally bit into it, he was super impressed and said “this tastes like real jerk chicken”. Well duh!
Hands down authentic jerk chicken – this is the real deal. Left recipe as it was written, I cooked mine in the air fryer at 385 for 20 mins turning 1/2 and basting. This tasted just like the jerk my husband and I had ate after visiting the falls in Jamaica.
I made the wings exactly as the recipe was written. They were just okay for me. The flavor didn’t match the effort I had to put into making these wings.
I did jerk turkey wings instead. Pretty good, just a tad too much lime juice for me. I would’ve liked just a little more of the Caribbean jerk kick. Good recipe tho. Will try again.
Very good wings. Just the right amount of kick. Good cold too!!
I have made these a dozen times already for various parties and events. I am now known as the guy with great jerk wings. I have been to many Caribbean islands and I have had my share a authentic jerk meats. This recipe is the closest I have come across to the real deal. in fact, I prefer it more than some jerk vendor’s in the Caribbean. I usually make a double batch. It seems like a single batch disappears too quickly. As other reviewers have indicated, use caution or use gloves when handling hot peppers like Habaneros. I learned my lesson the hard way… cleaned a bunch of Jalapenos without gloves and then went to the bathroom… I am a guy, standing up peeing… I almost went to the ER since I was in so much pain. I have worn gloves ever since.
I’m Jamaican and so I’ve had a few versions of jerk chicken over the years. This recipe was SO GOOD!!! I tweaked mine by using himalayan salt, coconut sugar and ground nutmeg. It turned out so good, full of flavor and addictive! I made an error by baking at 425 degrees F which explains why I probably had so much water in my pan after 25 minutes to the point I had to pour some out. I’ll make that adjustment next time. But this will be my go to recipe for jerk chicken. I HIGHLY recommend. Thanks Chef John!
Loved It. Very Tasty!!
My kids love them. They were too sweet for me. The brown sugar over power the other ingredients. It did not remind of the jerk chicken I had in Jamaica.
Maybe one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten. Perfect. Don’t change a thing.
OMG, amazing, delicious and spicy. can’t get enough. made twice already and salivating thinking about them now. they do not disappoint. if you like spice don’t be shy about adding and extra scotch bonnet with seeds.
Unbelievably good!
Might be the tastiest thing I’ve made from Allrecipes. I followed the recipe exactly, except that I used ground nutmeg instead of freshly grated nutmeg.
Made these for about 50 people and not one wing left!!! It was a hit!!