Sautéed Fire Cracker Jerked Jerk Chicken Recipe

Prepare chicken

Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Make 2 shallow slashes on the thickest part of each piece to help the marinade penetrate.

In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, soy sauce (2 tbs), brown sugar (1 tbs), 2 tbs vegetable oil, salt and black pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. Remove chicken from fridge 20 minutes before cooking to take the chill off.

Make the paste

In a small food processor or blender, combine scallions, scotch bonnet (or habanero), garlic, ginger, thyme leaves, allspice, cinnamon, smoked paprika, brown sugar (1 tsp), soy sauce (1 tbs), rice vinegar, hot sauce, neutral oil, and kosher salt. Pulse until you have a coarse, spoonable paste. Scrape down sides and pulse once more. If paste is too thick, add 1–2 tsp water to loosen.

Taste carefully and adjust heat or salt to preference. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the paste for finishing sauce and set aside.

Brown the chicken

Heat a large heavy skillet (cast-iron preferred) over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbs vegetable oil and 1 tbs butter. When the fat is shimmering, remove excess marinade from chicken (discard marinade) and place chicken skin-side down in the skillet. Sear 4–6 minutes without moving until skin is deeply golden and crisp. Flip and brown the underside 3–4 minutes.

Cook through with paste

Reduce heat to medium. Push chicken to the sides of the skillet. Add remaining 1 tbs butter to the center and spoon 2–3 tbs of the prepared firecracker jerk paste into the melted butter to bloom the spices for 30 seconds, stirring. Return chicken to center, spooning the paste onto the skin and under slices. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock (or water) to the pan, cover loosely with a lid, and simmer 8–12 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 74°C (165°F) and juices run clear. Baste chicken occasionally with pan sauce.

Finish the sauce

Remove chicken to a plate and tent with foil to rest for 5 minutes. With the skillet over medium heat, stir in the reserved 2 tbs jerk paste, honey, and any resting juices. Simmer uncovered for 2–3 minutes until slightly thickened. Swirl in remaining tablespoon of butter to gloss the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt or a squeeze of lime if needed.

Serve

Slice or keep pieces whole for starters/platters. Spoon the firecracker jerk sauce over the chicken, sprinkle chopped cilantro and sliced scallions, and scatter sesame seeds if using. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.