Jamaican Jerked Chicken with Barbecue Sauce

Jamaican Jerked Chicken

Place the chicken thighs in a medium mixing bowl and pour in 2 cups of the vinegar. Rub the vinegar into the chicken with your clean hands and drain.

Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken inside a large resealable plastic food storage bag and set aside. Wash hands again thoroughly before proceeding.

For the marinade: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the remaining teaspoon of vinegar, the green onions, jalapenos, soy sauce, Kitchen Bouquet, lime juice, allspice, bay leaves, garlic, salt, sugar, thyme, and cinnamon. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade for the Jamaican Barbecue Sauce.

Pour the remaining marinade inside the plastic bag to coat the chicken. Place the bag inside another resealable plastic food storage bag or in a shallow dish and refrigerate overnight.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to 375º F. Lightly grease a 13- by 9-inch baking dish and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Place half of the chicken thighs, skin side down, in the skillet and cook 2 minutes until skin is browned. Turn the chicken thighs using tongs and cook an additional 2 minutes.

Place the browned chicken thighs in the prepared baking dish.

Using oven mitts or pot holders, carefully wipe the hot skillet clean with paper towels.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the skillet and brown the remaining chicken thighs. Transfer the browned chicken to the baking dish.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Serve with Jamaican Barbecue Sauce.

Jamaican Barbecue Sauce

In a medium saucepan, combine the ketchup, soy sauce, Pickapepper Sauce, reserved 2 tablespoons of jerk marinade, green onion, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and vinegar.

Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook another 12 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened.

Remove the sauce from the heat and cool to room temperature.

Place the sauce in a food processor and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Serve at room temperature with the Jamaican Jerked Chicken.

Yield: about 2 1/2 cups