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Chef and Steward’s Jamaican Roast Chicken

This is the only Roast Chicken Recipe you will ever need. Tasty, fully of layered flavours, seasoned to the bone if you leave to marinate overnight. Just the right amount of spice. Authentic Jamaican and Caribbean flavours and technique that makes for a moist, juicy roast chicken!

Course dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Caribbean, Jamaican
Keyword budget meals, chicken, glutenfree, healthy, jamaiacan, keto, low carb, paleo, roast
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1.4-1.5 g 3lbs whole fresh chicken
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons coarse cracked black pepper freshly cracked
  • 2 teaspoons coarse cracked allspice freshly cracked
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 large garlic cloves
  • 7 sprigs thyme
  • ½ scotch bonnet pepper substitute with habanero or extra tsp blackpepper
  • 2 teaspoons cane vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 stalks scallion/green onions

Instructions

  1. Wash and pat dry the chicken. Yes. This. Is. A. Thing. Wash with half lime/lemon or about 1tbsp vinegar and water.
  2. Finely chop scotch bonnet/habanero, discarding the seeds
  3. Finely dice the garlic and strip thyme leaves from stems and combine with black pepper, allspice, scotch bonnet/habanero, salt, oil, vinegar and mix in a small bowl.
  4. Thinly slice the green parts of the stems of the green onions and set aside.
  5. Rub the spice paste all over chicken, getting into every nook and cranny and the cavities as well as the neck area. Gently ease skin away from chicken in the breast and back areas and rub marinade underneath.
  6. Tuck the sliced green onions under the skin as well.
  7. Place the white stems of the green onions along with the stems of the thyme inside the cavity. Truss the legs together with kitchen twine. Tuck the wing tips underneath the back of the chicken so that the chicken will present nicely on the table when done.
  8. Marinate for at least 2 hours, but overnight is best.
  9. Bring the chicken to room temperature before cooking.
  10. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 180C.
  11. Bring butter to room temperature, diving into two portions and stuff underneath the skin of each breast
  12. Roast chicken for an hour, then crank up the oven to 220 for another 5-minutes to brown.
  13. Allow chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Present it whole at the table and carve tableside for extra fanfare.