Pineapple Glazed Jerk Chicken

Course Chicken, Main Course

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword jerk-chicken, pineapple-glaze-recipe, pineapple-glazed-jerk-chicken

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Resting time 15

Total Time 1 15

Servings servings

Calories 393kcal

Author Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

3 lb chicken drumsticks
2 tsp Jerk seasoning [i.e. McCormick's or your favorite]
4 clove garlic minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp brown sugar
salt and black pepper to taste
Pineapple Glaze:
2 Tbsp butter
1 large shallot, minced or 1/4 cup red onion
3 Tbsp red bell pepper small dice
1 12 oz jar pineapple preserves
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes adjust to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray an oven safe grill pan or broiler pan liberally with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a small bowl mix together the Jamaican Jerk seasoning, minced garlic, olive oil and brown sugar to form a paste. Rub on all sides of the chicken. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
Arrange chicken drumsticks on prepared pan without touching. Sprinkle the tops with additional seasoning, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes. While the chicken is baking make the glaze.
Pineapple Glaze: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat saute diced shallot or red onion with the red pepper in 2 Tbsp butter until softened, around 4 minutes, Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
To the pan add pineapple preserves, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and crushed red pepper flakes. Mix well. Simmer for for 10-15 minutes until reduced by 1/4 then remove from the heat.
After baking the chicken for 30 minutes, brush the glaze on all sides of the chicken. Return chicken to the oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until the juices run clear and an internal temperature of 165°F is reached.
Remove from the oven and rest loosely tented with aluminum foil for 5-10 minutes, then serve.
Serve leftover pineapple glaze warm on the side.

Notes

Chicken - You can use bone-in chicken thighs or chicken breasts for this recipe. You might even opt to make it using whole chicken pieces. Each one bakes differently, so check the thickest portion of the chicken with an instant read thermometer looking for 165°F internal temperature.
Jerk Seasoning - You can use your favorite brand of jerk seasoning. McCormick's, Badia, Walkerswood (World Market) are all easy to find.
Pineapple Preserves - If you're unable to find pineapple preserves you can adapt the glaze recipe using apricot jam or or mango preserves.
Homemade Pineapple Glaze Option - You can also make the following changes to adapt the glaze. Add one 8 ounce can of undrained crushed pineapple and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar to the other ingredients. You may need to cook the glaze slightly longer to give it time to thicken and reduce.
Apple Cider Vinegar - Vinegar adds the acidic flavor to balance the sweet pineapple glaze. You could use soy sauce, white vinegar or balsamic vinegar, instead.
Shallots - You can use red onion, scallions (green onions) or sweet onion instead of shallots.
Peppers - Red bell peppers add a mild pepper flavor that pairs well with the crushed red pepper flakes. You can use a different pepper such as green bell pepper, poblano pepper, scotch bonnet peppers or jalapeno pepper for extra heat. When doing so, adjust the amount of red pepper flakes or omit them altogether.
More Ways to Use the Pineapple Glaze - You can use this same glaze to brush on pork, shrimp, ribs or steak.

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