I bought a book some months ago on caribbean cookery and in it was a recipe for jerk chicken - i tried it out, but it didnt taste like anything iv eaten in the past (maybe it was just my cooking !!)

jerk chickin (or jerk anything for that matter) is all in the spices. You can get pre-blended all spice, (which is normaly only the one, but sometimes has others in there aswell). As long as you cook as per instruction is should be fine.

JAMAICAN JERK CHICKEN 10 lg. South Bonnet Chile 3 scallions (substitute) 1/4 tsp. lime juice (fresh) 1/4 tsp. yellow mustard 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar 2 tbsp. each rosemary, basil, thyme 2 tbsp. mustard seeds and parsley 1 tsp. salt and pepper 6 whole chicken legs Puree chile (or scallions) and all other ingredients, except chicken, to a paste. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Submerge chicken legs in mixture and be sure it is coated well. Then grill chicken legs over very low heat for 40-50 minutes.

Preparation time overnight Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour Ingredients 6 part-boned chicken breasts For the sauce: 225g/8oz onions, quartered 1-1½ scotch bonnet or other chillies according to taste, halved and seeded (A very small but very hot chilli, similar to the habanero. Scotch bonnets are frequently used in Caribbean cooking. They can be light green, yellow or red. After preparing chillies, it's important to avoid contact with the eyes or any sensitive skin - even washing the hands may not be enough to remove all the capsaicin, the volatile oil in the fruit that gives it its hot taste. 50g/2oz root ginger, peeled and chopped roughly ½ tsp ground allspice small bunch fresh thyme, leaves only 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 120ml/4fl oz white wine vinegar 120ml/4fl oz dark soy sauce To serve: boiled rice 1 pineapple, pealed, cored and cut in wedges 4 limes, 3 cut in wedges, 1 juice only Method 1. Put all the ingredients for the Jerk Sauce in a food processor and whiz until smooth. 2. Place the chicken in a large shallow dish, pour over the sauce, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight. 3. On a hot griddle cook the chicken for 25-30 minutes, basting now and then with the leftover sauce. As it cooks, the thick sauce will go quite black in places, but don't worry, as it falls off it will leave behind a really well flavoured, crisp skin, with lovely moist tender meat underneath. 4. Brush the pineapple lightly with oil and char grill until golden brown on all sides. Squeeze over the juice of one lime. 5. Serve the jerk chicken with the pineapple and wedges of lime on the side.

1 tablespoon Ground allspice 1 tablespoon Dried thyme 1 1/2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons Freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons Ground sage 3/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg 3/4 teaspoon Ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons Garlic powder or fresh 1 tablespoon Sugar 1/4 cup Olive oil 1/4 cup Soy sauce 3/4 cup White Vinegar 1/2 cup Orange juice 1 Lime juice 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (habanero) 3 Green onions -- finely chopped 1 cup Onion -- finely chopped 4 to 6 chicken breasts Seed and finely chop Scotch Bonnet pepper. Trim chicken of fat. In a large bowl, combine the allspice, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, garlic powder and sugar. With a wire whisk, slowly add the olive oil, say sauce, vinegar, orange juice, and lime juice. Add the Scotch Bonnet pepper, onion, and mix well. Add the chicken breasts, cover and marinate for at least 1 hour, longer if possible. Preheat grill. Remove the breasts from the marinade and grill for 6 minutes on each side or until fully cooked. While grilling, baste with the marinade. Bring the leftover marinade to a boil and serve on the side for dipping. Note: Scotch Bonnet peppers, also known as "Habaneros" are the hottest of the capsicum peppers, they're truly incendiary you can substitute milder ones

Jamaican Jerk Chicken INGREDIENTS 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks 4 limes, juiced 1 cup water 2 teaspoons ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon brown sugar 2 teaspoons dried thyme 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 onions, chopped 1 1/2 cups chopped green onions 6 cloves garlic, chopped 2 habanero peppers, chopped DIRECTIONS Place chicken in a medium bowl. Cover with lime juice and water. Set aside. In a blender or food processor, place allspice, nutmeg, salt, brown sugar, thyme, ginger, black pepper and vegetable oil. Blend well, then mix in onions, green onions, garlic and habanero peppers until almost smooth. Pour most of the blended marinade mixture into bowl with chicken, reserving a small amount to use as a basting sauce while cooking. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat. Brush grill grate with oil. Cook chicken slowly on the preheated grill. Turn frequently, basting often with remaining marinade mixture. Cook to desired doneness.

Crockpot Jerk Chicken 1 large onion, cut into 8 pieces 1 generous tablespoon candied ginger 1 1/2 tablespoons minced canned chipotle chiles, or more, to taste 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 2 tablespoons dry mustard 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons garlic oil (available in many supermarkets and gourmet stores) 1 3 1/2-pound chicken, skin removed and cut into 8 pieces, or 3 1/2 pounds chicken tenders To prepare sauce, place onions and ginger in work bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade, and process to chop into very fine pieces. Add everything but chicken and pulse to combine. Place chicken in slow cooker and coat with sauce. Cover, set on low, and cook for 6 to 8 hours, or set on high and cook until chicken is tender, 2 to 3 hours. Makes 4 servings. Oven-Style Jerk Chicken Prep Time: 20 min. The jerk marinade flavors this dish with the aroma of warm winds in the Caribbean. Ingredients 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons rum 3 tablespoons cooking oil 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic 2 whole cloves 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon black peppercorns 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 2-1/2- to 3-pound broiler-fryer chicken, cut up Directions: 1. In a blender container combine all ingredients except chicken. Cover and process on high speed until blended. Place chicken in a heavy duty resealable plastic bag; add marinade. Seal bag. Marinate in refrigerator 4 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove chicken from marinade. Arrange chicken in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 45 to 55 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink (180 degrees F). Makes 4 servings.