World Class Rock Recipes: Amy Winehouse Jerk Chicken

by Matt Pelsor | Jan 25, 2024 | Mornings with Matt Pelsor

Amy Winehouse particularly loved Caribbean food. It was once reported that Amy wouldn’t return home to the UK unless she could bring a Caribbean chef with her. Here’s a Jerk Chicken recipe she would’ve adored.

Amy Winehouse’s Jerk Chicken

½ cup malt vinegar (or white vinegar)
2 Tbsp dark rum
2 Scotch bonnet peppers (or habaneros), with seeds, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
4 green onion tops, chopped
1 Tbsp dried thyme or 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons ground allspice
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons molasses
1 (5- or 6-pound) roasting chicken, cut in half, lengthwise
½ cup lime juice
Salt and pepper

To begin, mix the vinegar, rum, peppers, onions, oil, thyme, spices, and molasses in a blender and pulse until mostly smooth. Then pour the mixture over chicken that’s been placed in a large plastic bag or baking dish and coated with the lime juice. Seal the bag or cover the dish and let the chicken sit overnight in the refrigerator. Remove the chicken from the marinade. Put the marinade in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. To cook the chicken, you can grill it or bake it in the oven, coating it with the marinade as you go. Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked, cut it into pieces and serve with black beans and rice.