October in the kitchen – Jerk Chicken in a Slow Cooker

Liz @ spades, spatulas, and spoons

12 years ago

I don’t use my slow cooker that much. I have found that it’s a tricky thing to adjust a regular recipe to the crock pot.The amount of liquid has to be reduced dramatically. As well, I don’t find most recipes specifically designed for the crock pot that interesting (except for soups, chili and beans); and lastly, I think everything often turns out tasting the same. But, I recently came across a recipe for Crock Pot Jerk Chicken which sparked my curiosity. Jerk chicken is usually made in several steps; marinate, roast, and grill. This recipe was easy, quick and eliminated both the marinating (although you could still do that if you wanted) and the roasting, needing only a quick run under the broiler or on the grill to crisp at the end.

This recipe is adapted from one on Bakers Royale.

Crock-pot Jerk Chicken

16 scallions (about two bunches), chopped coarsely
1 cup of cilantro
4 Serrano chilies, seeds and veins removed
1 (2 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into ½ inch slices
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons of fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried)
4 teaspoons ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons of coarse salt (I used grey salt)
¼ cup of molasses
½ cup of neutral oil such as sunflower or canola
Juice of 1 lime
4 lbs. of chicken pieces, skin on

Dump the first 10 ingredients into the bowl of your food processer. Chop them coarsely until mixed. While the motor is running, add the oil and lime juice, puree.
Transfer half of the mixture to your slow cooker, add the chicken and turn to coat with the marinade. Refrigerate the rest of the marinade for later.
Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours.
At this point you can either broil the chicken in your oven (10 inches from the heat) or BBQ it on the grill. Either way, brush the chicken with the remaining marinade and cook on each side until lightly charred.