Jerk Chicken (Spatchcocked and Oven Rosted)

Disclaimer: The pictures are not the best but the chicken was magical!

Preparation

Clean and dry the whole chicken then remove the spine of the chicken with kitchen sheers. You can then remove the wish bone or lay the chicken flat and push on the breast until it lies flat, I chose this method. 

The Brine

2 cups beer

4 quarts water

1 lemon sliced thin

2 cinnamon sticks

2 tbsp allspice berries

1tbsp ground nutmeg

1 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup sugar

I used a quart of hot water to dissolve the sugar and salt, then I added cold water and the rest of the spices. Refrigerate over night turning once if the brine does not completely cover the chicken.

Marinade/Rub

1 cup Belgian-style white beer

4 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers

1 bunch of scallions, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

8-10 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

2 tbsp ginger, chopped or micro planed

1 tbsp fresh thyme or dry if you don't have fresh

2 tsp all spice, ground

1 tsp nutmeg, ground

1/4 tsp cinnamon, ground

2 tbsp lime juice

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp kosher salt

2 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp oil, vegetable or olive

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. At this point you can marinate the chicken in the paste or apply and cook immediately. I rubbed some under the skin and brushed the rest on the top and bottom of the chicken.

Preheat the oven to 450 and check after 30 minutes, depending on the size of the bird it could take up to an hour for the internal temperature to reach 160.

The only thing I might change would be to not put the marinade under the skin and see if that would make the skin crispier. It was delicious but not crispy.

Enjoy!

Mango Habanero Sauce

1 tbsp cooking oil
3 cups (heaping) mangoes. I used frozen cubed mango from Trader Joe's.
1 cup pineapple. Fresh or frozen would work.
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup orange peach mango juice. Orange juice would work as well.
2 large jalapenos (seeded)
2 habaneros (stemmed)
1 medium yellow onion. Chopped.
2 shallots chopped
A splash of beer
A hand full of garlic cloves (add more or less depending on how garlicy you prefer)
Juice from a very juicy lemon (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 sugar
1 tsp salt

In a medium sauce pan heat oil until it begins to smoke then add the sliced shallots and onion. Allow to brown and don't worry if they begin to burn a little. Add sliced chillies and stir for a few minutes then once the chilies are softened add garlic, beer (optional I used it to de-glaze the pan), and fruit. After about 5 minutes add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling reduce the heat to low or med/low. Cover and allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes. Allow to cool then blend smooth. When I make this again I'd double the habaneros and leave out the jalapeno and see how that turns out. The final product is pictured below.

 The bonus picture is of the smoked spicy chicken drumsticks which we used as a vehicle for this magical sauce.

Enjoy!