Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe (Freezer Friendly)

Cooking meat on the grill is a great way to enjoy the warm summer months. That means you’re going to need to add some grill recipes to your meal plan rotation! Luckily, it’s easy to prepare your grilling recipes ahead of time with the help of your freezer! With this freezer friendly Jamaican jerk chicken recipe, you can enjoy tons of island flavour from the comfort of your home using your grill, slow cooker, or your oven.

This recipe has long been one of our go-tos. The flavours are insanely good and it’s so fast to assemble. Whenever we do one of our big marathon freezer meal sessions, we like to choose several chicken dump style recipes such as this one because they are done in no time at all. 

Other chicken dump style recipes we love:

• Spicy Chipotle Chicken
• BBQ Shredded Chicken
• Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos
• Mahjong Chicken
• Gingery Salsa Chicken

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

• 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
•  1/3 cup chopped green onion
•  1/4 cup lime juice
•  2 Tablespoons olive oil
•  2 Tablespoons soya sauce
•  2 Tablespoons liquid honey
•  2 Tablespoons Jamaican Jerk Spice

Freezing instructions:

1. Add the chicken thighs to a large resealable bag, then top the chicken with the green onion, lime juice, olive oil, soya sauce, honey, and Jamaican jerk spice.
2. Squish the ingredients together inside the bag to mix the sauce ingredients and coat the chicken.
3. Remove excess air from the bag and seal. Place the bag flat in the freezer until you’re ready to start cooking.

Serving instructions:

1. These Jamaican jerk chicken thighs can be baked, cooked in the slow cooker, or grilled. No matter which method you use, start by thawing the chicken in the refrigerator until the thighs are no longer frozen.
2. To prepare the jerk chicken on the grill, start by preheating the BBQ to medium. Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the remaining marinade. Oil the grill and place the chicken on the BBQ to cook for 15 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes until no longer pink in center.
3. To bake the jerk chicken thighs, preheat the oven to 350°. Place the chicken thighs in a baking dish and discard the remaining marinade. Cook for one hour.
4. To prepare the chicken in the crock pot, place the thighs in the slow cooker and discard the leftover marinade. Cook the chicken on low for 3-5 hours. 
5. If you want to cook these in the Air Fryer, preheat Air Fryer to 380° for 5 minutes. Cook for 20 minutes at 380° turning once or until chicken is 165° internally.

What is in Jamaican Jerk Seasoning?

Making your own Jamaican jerk seasoning is quick and easy when you know what ingredients are used to prepare it! If you’re hoping to whip up your own jerk seasoning for this quick freezer recipe, you’ll need:

• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

Combine all the spices in a small bowl and stir until they’re well combined. Then, add the mixture to your chicken to create a delicious homemade jerk chicken recipe.

Can You Marinate Chicken and Then Freeze It?

Adding marinade to your chicken is a great way to enhance the flavour of the meat. But keeping the chicken in a marinade too long can break down the meat. That might make you wonder whether it’s a good idea to store your frozen chicken in a marinade.

The good news is that it’s totally safe to marinate your chicken before freezing it. Once the marinade and chicken are frozen, the marinating process stops. That means your chicken will be safe until it’s ready to be cooked.

In fact, adding sauce, seasoning, and marinade to your chicken before freezing it is one of the best ways to speed up dinner time prep work! Simply add the marinade to the bag with your chicken and place it in the freezer. When you’re ready to cook, remove the bag from the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge. While the chicken is thawing, it will begin to soak up the marinade flavours, ensuring your jerk chicken is packed with Jamaican flavour when you’re ready to start cooking.

How Long Can You Keep Marinated Chicken in the Freezer?

Since the marinade will freeze around your chicken, it’s safe to store the poultry in the freezer for an extended period of time. Chicken is typically safe to freeze for up to eight weeks before it needs to be cooked. Make sure to note the date you place the chicken in the freezer and the approximate expiration date on the bag before you freeze it so you’ll know when you should cook the chicken before it goes bad.

Can You Freeze Cooked Jerk Chicken?

The beauty of freezer cooking with chicken is that you can store your chicken in the freezer raw or cooked! Combining the raw chicken with the marinade in the freezer is a quick way to meal prep. But if you’re looking to speed up your prep work at dinner time, freezing cooked jerk chicken is a great idea.

After the chicken is prepared, allow it to cool to room temperature. After that, you can transfer it to a freezer bag or freezer safe container. When you’re ready to eat your frozen jerk chicken, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator. Then, you can reheat the chicken in the oven or microwave.

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Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

17 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken dump

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 8-10 chicken thighs boneless, skinless
• 1/3 cup green onion chopped
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. soya sauce
• 2 Tbsp. liquid honey
• 2 Tbsp. Jamaican Jerk Spice

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

1. Add the chicken thighs to a large resealable freezer bag, then add the green onion, lime juice, olive oil, soya sauce, honey, and Jamaican jerk spice.

2. Squish the ingredients together inside the bag to mix the sauce ingredients and coat the chicken.

3. Remove excess air and seal. Freeze.

BBQ Cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. Preheat the BBQ to medium. Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the remaining marinade. Oil the grill and place the chicken on the BBQ to cook for 15 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes until no longer pink in center.

Oven Cooking Instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. To bake the jerk chicken thighs, preheat the oven to 350. Place the chicken thighs in a baking dish. Cook for one hour.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. Place the thighs in the slow cooker. Cook the chicken on low for 3-5 hours.

Air Fryer Instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. Preheat the Air Fryer to 380° for 5 minutes. Cook for 20 minutes at 380° turning once or until chicken is 165° internally.