Grilled Jerk Chicken Wings Recipe

Grilled Jerk Chicken Wings Recipe | Recipe Iseasy Kitchen

Difficulty: Simple
Makes: Serves 6 to 8 people
Nutritional Facts Per Serving: Based on 1/8th of total recipe Calories: 439, Total Fat: 32g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Carbohydrates: 7g, Dietary Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Protein: 31g, Cholesterol: 189mg, Sodium: 730mg
Total Time: 5 1/2 hours (includes time to marinate)
Hands-on Time: 35 minutes

Fire up your grill and dive into the bold, smoky flavors of Jamaican jerk chicken wingsmarinated overnight in a fiery blend of Scotch bonnet peppers, allspice, scallions, and thyme that will transport your taste buds straight to the islands. This cherished culinary tradition, blending African and Taino roots, promises tender, irresistible wings cooked low and slow. No pimento wood? Your grill or a blazing oven works wonders to deliver that crave-worthy char!

Ingredients

1 cup scallions (white and green parts), roughly chopped (about 6 to 8 scallions), plus extra, sliced, for garnish
1/3 cup vegetable oil (and more for brushing the grill grates)
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus a small handful of whole thyme sprigs
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 Scotch bonnet peppers, halved with seeds removed (see tip below)
Zest and juice of one lime, plus extra lime wedges to serve
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
3 lbs chicken wings, separated into drumettes and wingettes, wing tips discarded

Instructions

Put the scallions, vegetable oil, soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, thyme leaves, allspice, cinnamon, garlic, Scotch bonnet peppers, lime zest and juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper into a food processor. Process until you have a smooth marinade. Set aside a 1/2 cup of this marinade to use for basting later. Place the chicken wings and the remaining marinade in a large zip-top bag. Crush the thyme sprigs a bit to release flavor and add them to the bag. Close the bag and massage everything together so the marinade coats the chicken evenly. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or, better yet, overnight. About half an hour before grilling, remove the wings from the fridge to let them come to room temperature.
Prepare your grill for both direct and indirect medium heat cooking. For gas grills with at least three burners, preheat all burners to medium-high; after 15 minutes, shut off one of the center burners and turn the others to medium. For charcoal grills, place a full chimney of hot coals on one side for indirect heat, leaving the other side empty and placing a drip tray there to catch fat and prevent flare-ups. Always check and follow the manufacturer's advice on setup.
Lightly oil the grill grates. Take the wings from the bag and sprinkle them with salt. Lay them on the indirect-heat part of the grill. Close the lid and cook, flipping them halfway, for about 20 minutes (they will be nearly cooked through at this stage). Open the grill, brush the wings with some of the reserved marinade, then move them to the side directly over the coals or burners. Let them cook for about 3 minutes to get crispy, brush again, flip, and grill another 4 minutes or until they're thoroughly cooked and have nice color.
Garnish the wings with the sliced scallions and serve with lime wedges.

Kitchen Tip: Handle Scotch bonnet peppers with care. Use food-safe gloves if you are sensitive to hot peppers or have sensitive skin.