Skillet Jerk Chicken Thighs is the delicious main attraction your meals are missing. This easy to prepare and easy to make dish is loaded with traditional jerk flavor and can be made in the oven, on the stove top or even on a grill. It’s perfect for meal prepping and can be made in large batches. It stores well in the refrigerator for easy meals throughout the week. Jump right into this deliciousness and make it a part of your weekly rotation.
Prepping the chicken
For easy cooking I remove the bones from bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Keep the skin on. It adds great flavor to this dish. Here’s an excellent Youtube Video for an Easy way to debone chicken thighs . To season the chicken you will need half a batch of my delicious home made jerk seasoning and some salt. That’s it. Season the chicken overnight for best results or at least for 4 hours.
Not going to lie here, I’ve totally seasoned the chicken and stuck it in the oven right after. When you’re in a pinch you do what you need to do! And it was still delicious because the chicken roasts in all of its own juices as well as the juices from the jerk seasoning . I don’t recommend this if you are grilling the chicken though. Definitely let it marinate overnight if grilling. You will not regret giving it that extra time to soak up all the flavor of the seasoning.
Roasting in the oven
My favorite method for cooking this Skillet Jerk Chicken is in the oven at 450 °F. It roasts up to an amazingly tender and juicy chicken and the pan juices are perfect for drizzling over potatoes or roasted veggies. I also like that I can put all my sides and roast them up in the oven at the same time. However, when the weather warms up and I am less inclined to heat up my house with the oven, I love putting my cast iron skillet on the grill. With this recipe cooking the chicken in a skillet on the grill produces the same results as the chicken roasting in the oven
It is not as easy to have a consistent temperature with the grill, so please ensure you have a cast iron skillet that is heat tested up to 500°F. I use my Lodge Cast Iron Skillet for grill cooking. It is rated for indoor and outdoor cooking and cooks evenly on high or low heat! Check out this article on Epicurius.com to learn more about cooking with a cast iron skillet on the grill!
Cooking on the Stove top
For stove-top cooking, warm a skillet on medium heat until really hot, add a bit of oil then place the chicken skin side down in the skillet and cook until it is golden brown and has a really nice sear. Then flip over and continue to sear on the flesh side. This should take about 10 minutes of total cooking for both sides. Then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and allow to simmer until the chicken is completely cooked and tender and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (about 30 minutes more cooking time). If the juices cook down before the chicken is cooked, you may add some apple or pineapple juice to deglaze the pan.
Cooking on the Grill
Don’t have a cast iron skillet to use on your grill? Put the chicken directly on the grill grate for some easy grilled Jerk Chicken thighs. Since the bones have been removed these thighs cook up in 30-45 minutes. Start by placing the seasoned thighs flesh side down and cook at 425 °F for 15-20 minutes, then flip on to the skin side and continue to cook. Look out for flare ups from the grill as the juices and fat drip from the skin. You can ease flare ups by moving the chicken to a different spot on the grill. Don’t crowd your grill. Here’s a great article on How to Prevent Grill Flare Ups for the perfect grilled chicken!
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The Printable Skillet Jerk Chicken Recipe
- 5 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- ½ batch of Metemgee's Jerk Seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon of salt
- ½ cup of pineapple juice, apple juice or water
- 2 tablespoons of avocado or similar oil
- Up to ½ cup of apple or pineapple juice (optional)
- Remove the bones from the chicken thighs. Click here to learn how
- Then add chicken thighs, jerk seasoning and salt to a large bowl and mix together well, ensuring that all the pieces are completely covered on both sides with the seasoning
- Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight if possible
- When ready to cook preheat your oven to 450 °F
- Then place the marinated chicken thighs flesh side down in a cast iron skillet
- Place the skillet with the chicken on the middle rack of the oven and roast for 30 minutes
- Then spoon the pan juices over the chicken thighs. Add the pineapple juice to deglaze the pan and continue to roast for another 15 minutes until the skin achieves a deep and dark roasted color
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving
- Place a large skillet on medium heat and bring up to temperature
- When the skillet is hot add the oil and bring up to temperature, then add the marinated chicken thighs skin side down
- Sear the chicken thighs until gold brown (this should take about 5 minutes) then flip over
- Continue to cook until the flesh side also achieves a good sear, then reduce the heat to medium low (mid-point between lowest possible heat and medium heat), cover and let simmer for 30 minutes
- If the pan juices cook off before the chicken is fully cooked, you may add ¼ cup to ½ cup of apple juice or pineapple juice to deglaze the pan then continue to cook until the chicken thighs are completely cooked
- You may cook the chicken in a skillet on the grill. Bring the grill up to 450 °F
- Then place the chicken flesh side down in a skillet rated for high heat cooking
- Next place the skillet on the grill, close grill cover and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F, then remove from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes before serving
- You may also place the chicken directly on the grill for a grilled Jerk Chicken Thighs
- Preheat the grill to 425-450°F
- Then place the chicken flesh side down directly on the grill
- Cook for 20 minutes, then flip and continue to cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F
- Then remove from the grill and rest for 10 minutes before serving
Love Jerk Seasoning? Try these other Jerk recipes:
Jerk Chicken Wings
Pan Roasted Jerk Chicken Breasts
Jerk Chicken and Berries Salad
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I made this after seeing it on the whole30recipes takeover, and it is delicious. The chicken is so tender and juicy and the flavor is amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing. Glad it turned out great
I made this recipe immediately after seeing you make it during your Whole30 takeover….and my partner said we need to have this once a week! Amazing flavor and so great on the grill.
I second that. Yummm