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BBQ jerk chicken thighs with pineapple salsa

BBQ Jerk Chicken Thighs with Pineapple Salsa

Boneless chicken thighs marinated in a fragrant jerk spice mix and grilled until charred and juicy, served with a fresh pineapple salsa. Caribbean flavours that have become firm favourites on British BBQs.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Marinating Time 1 day
Total Time 1 day 45 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the jerk chicken
  • 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 3 spring onions roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 small onion roughly chopped
  • 1-2 Scotch bonnet chillies seeds removed for milder heat
  • 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
For the pineapple salsa
  • 1/2 ripe pineapple finely diced
  • 1/2 small red onion finely diced
  • 1 small red chilli deseeded and finely chopped, optional
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
  • Pinch of salt

Method
 

Step 1

  1. To make the jerk marinade, blitz spring onions, garlic, onion, Scotch bonnet, thyme, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, pepper and salt in a blender or food processor until you have a thick paste.

Step 2

  1. Place the chicken thighs in a bowl or zip bag and coat thoroughly with the jerk paste. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Step 3

  1. For the pineapple salsa, combine diced pineapple, red onion, chilli if using, lime juice, coriander and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Chill until serving.

Step 4

  1. Preheat the BBQ to medium heat, with both direct and indirect zones.

Step 5

  1. Shake off excess marinade and place the chicken thighs over indirect heat. Close the lid and cook for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until nearly cooked through.

Step 6

  1. Move the thighs to direct heat for the last 5 minutes, flipping occasionally to get good char marks. Aim for an internal temperature of 75 C in the thickest part of each thigh.

Step 7

  1. Rest the chicken for 5 minutes, then slice and serve with pineapple salsa and flatbreads or rice.

Notes

Chicken thighs are more forgiving than breasts on the BBQ and stay juicy even with bold jerk spices.
Adjust the amount of Scotch bonnet to suit your heat tolerance; one seeded pepper gives gentle warmth.