If you look at the components of pumpkin pie spice, you have cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and possibly a couple of other flavors. These spices all dovetail well with the flavoring of Jamaican jerk chicken - so I adapted a recipe to give it an autumn twist, and to put that seasonal pumpkin pie spice to good use.
A note on ingredients: authentic jerk chicken recipes use scotch bonnet peppers, which are about twice as hot as habaneros and some 40 times hotter than jalapenos. Use your pepper of choice with this in mind - or omit them altogether and you'll still have a flavorful dish. (I used 2 habaneros and it wasn't really spicy.)
Regarding the chicken, you would normally use bone-in skinless pieces. I used a whole chicken that I got spatchcocked for even grilling, but you could also use bone-in or even boneless chicken; just vary cooking length according to the target internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
And to clarify - spatchcocked chicken has the backbone removed and is butterflied, making it easier to marinate and grill evenly. Store butchers will do it for you as long as you use a chicken sold by weight; I asked them at Sprouts to do it for me, and it saved me tons of effort at home.
You'll need:
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 3 scallions
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 scotch bonnet peppers*
- 1 1/2 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
- 1 Tbs ground black pepper
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 c soy sauce
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 4 lb whole chicken, spatchcocked
In a medium food processor, combine the onion, scallions, garlic, hot peppers, and all spices until well blended. Continue to blend while pouring in the soy sauce and olive oil. Coat the chicken with the marinade in a shallow dish or freezer bag, and let marinate in the refrigerator 24 hours.
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about half an hour before cooking. Heat a grill on medium heat. Grill the chicken, skin side up, in a covered grill over indirect heat, rotating halfway so that the legs are closer to the heat and then the breast is. Cook until internal temperature in the thighs in 165 F - about an hour.
To finish it off, move the chicken to direct heat and flip skin side down. Cook 3 to 4 minutes to sear the skin.
Let rest about 15 minutes before carving.
Scarecrow Chicken (Pumpkin Pie Spice Jerk Grilled Chicken)
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 3 scallions
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 scotch bonnet peppers*
- 1 1/2 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
- 1 Tbs ground black pepper
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 c soy sauce
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 4 lb whole chicken, spatchcocked
Instructions
- In a medium food processor, combine the onion, scallions, garlic, hot peppers, and all spices until well blended. Continue to blend while pouring in the soy sauce and olive oil. Coat the chicken with the marinade in a shallow dish or freezer bag, and let marinate in the refrigerator 24 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about half an hour before cooking. Heat a grill on medium heat. Grill the chicken, skin side up, in a covered grill over indirect heat, rotating halfway so that the legs are closer to the heat and then the breast is. Cook until internal temperature in the thighs in 165 F - about an hour.
- To finish it off, move the chicken to direct heat and flip skin side down. Cook 3 to 4 minutes to sear the skin.
- Let rest about 15 minutes before carving.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
784.80Fat (grams)
43.92Sat. Fat (grams)
11.91Carbs (grams)
7.98Fiber (grams)
1.71Net carbs
6.27Sugar (grams)
2.40Protein (grams)
85.41Sodium (milligrams)
2002.13Cholesterol (grams)
266.11