The slow cooker wins again! This incredibly easy recipe boasts big flavor and very, very little work. Just mix up a fragrant spice rub in your blender, slather it over the chicken, and then let the slow cooker do the rest. You will want to pop the chicken in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes at the end to get that nice, charred, crispy skin that is just not achievable in a slow cooker, but still… SO little effort!
Cooking the chicken in the slow cooker makes it juicy and fall-off-the-bone tender. I don’t advocate cooking this on low because even on high it takes a while for the chicken to reach safe temperatures. So, plan this dish for a day when you’ll be home and can get back to it after four hours.
This did make a LOT of chicken, but the recipe can easily be halved to fit smaller slow cooker or to feed a smaller crowd. My slow cooker is somewhere around 6 quarts and so a whole cut up chicken fit nicely. If you have a smaller slow cooker, you can buy a 2 pound pack of chicken thighs, drumsticks, or even a couple of breasts and just halve the spice rub. It’s that simple.
Jerk chicken is famous for it’s spicy heat, but you can eliminate the serrano pepper and still have some freaking delicious chicken. To make it extra spicy, add the serrano to the spices in the blender. For medium spicy, add the serrano sliced up to the slow cooker like I did. And for mild, just skip it all together!
Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken
slow cooker jerk chicken
Servings 4 to 6 servingsIngredients
- 5 lbs chicken pieces ($6.18)
- 1/4 cup molasses (not black strap) ($0.55)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil ($0.08)
- 1/3 cup soy sauce ($0.11)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled ($0.32)
- 3-4 inches fresh ginger ($0.28)
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon ($0.15)
- 1 tsp allspice ($0.05)
- 1 tsp thyme ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg ($0.03)
- 1 medium onion ($0.36)
- 1 medium orange ($0.49)
- 1 medium serrano or jalapeno pepper ($0.09)
Instructions
- To a blender add the molasses, vegetable oil, soy sauce, peeled garlic, ginger (cut into chunks, peeled), cinnamon, allspice, thyme, and nutmeg. Blend until smooth. If you want extra hot jerk chicken, add the serrano to the blender, too.
- Arrange the chicken pieces in the slow cooker so that they are nestled tightly and as close to the bottom as possible. Pour about 2/3 of the spice rub over the chicken and use your hands to spread it all over the chicken pieces. Save the rest of the spice rub for later use.
- Cut the onion into wedges and slice the orange and serrano. Add the onion, orange, and serrano to the slow cooker. Nestle the pieces down in and under the chicken so that they make close contact. Place the lid on the slow cooker, turn it on to high, and let it cook undisturbed for four hours.
- After four hours, carefully remove the chicken and place it on a broiler pan or a baking sheet covered with foil. Tongs work best for this as the chicken will be very hot and very delicate. Spread the rest of the spice rub carefully over the surface of the chicken. Adjust the rack in your oven so that the top of the chicken is 4-5 inches below the broiler. Broil on high for about 5 minutes or until the skin is crispy and browned. Watch the chicken closely as all broilers are different. Broilers can quickly burn food because of their high heat and close proximity of the heat source.
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Step By Step Photos
First I mixed up the spice rub. I literally just put everything in the blender and pressed go. Everything as in: molasses, vegetable oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, thyme, and nutmeg.
I bought one whole chicken cut into pieces. So, that’s two breast halves, two drumsticks, two thighs, and two wings. If you don’t like the various pieces, you can just buy breasts, or thighs, or whatever you like. This recipe is written for about five pounds of chicken, but you could easily halve it to cook just two pounds.
Arrange the chicken pieces in the slow cooker so that they are tightly nestled together and as close to the bottom as possible. This will help them heat and cook evenly.
Pour about 2/3 of the spice rub over the chicken and spread it around to all surfaces of the chicken pieces. Save the rest of the spice rub for later.
Slice up the onion, orange, and serrano.
Add the onion, orange, and serrano to the slow cooker and nestle the slices down into the chicken pieces. The more contact the more flavor.
Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours. I don’t suggest cooking on low because it just takes too long for the chicken to reach a safe temperature. After four hours the chicken is super tender and juicy.
Carefully remove the chicken pieces from the slow cooker and place them on a broiler pan or a baking sheet covered with foil. Spread the rest of the spice rub over top.
Arrange the rack in your oven so that the top of the chicken will be about 4-5 inches from the broiler. Broil on high for about 5 minutes or until the skin is crispy and it has browned really well. Every broiler is different, so you have to watch it VERY closely.
And then you’re ready to eat! And good thing because that smell has likely been tantalizing you ALL DAY.
Is it ok if the rub is too smooth after blending? I think I overdid it and it’s almost liquid now. :(
It will still flavor the chicken as it slow cooks. :) You probably won’t get brown layer on top, but I’m sure it will still taste great.
I made this recipe about 10 times and my husband and all of his friends LOVE THIS. I love the flavor so much, I just double the sauce ingredients.
Hope you’re still checking the comments on these… I have a bottle of Badia Jamaican Jerk spice blend hanging out in the pantry that I would like to use. What would be the best way to sub that in? Leave out the cinnamon, allspice, thyme, nutmeg, and probably the pepper since it’s already spicy on its own?
Hi! I’m sure it would make for a great swap. I would cross-check the ingredient list on the container with our recipe and add an equal amount of those combined spices + the full amount of any spices not included in the seasoning blend! ~ marion :)
Can you do this with boneless skinless breasts or thighs?
As Beth mentions in the introduction of this post, this recipe can be made with any kind of chicken. However, you could likely shorten the cooking time slightly (but still cook on HIGH) since boneless chicken cooks a little faster than bone-in chicken. You want to make sure the breasts register an internal temperature of 165*F and the thighs hit 180*F before removing them from the crockpot so they are fully cooked and perfectly tender. ~ Marion :)
Alright, I am here to tell everyone what a BANGIN’ recipe this is. I made it for dinner tonight, following the recipe to a T, and it was SO delicious! My hubby and I loved it. Here are my thoughts and how I served it:
– I don’t have a good blender or a food processor, but I do have an immersion blender and I was able to make the sauce very easily by dicing up the ginger first, and then blending it in the tall plastic measuring cup that came with my hand blender.
– I used one jalapeño pepper and thought the chicken was really tasty and well-seasoned. I left the jalapeño pieces off when I transferred the chicken to the broiler and served it, but I might leave them in next time for a bit more heat, and might add some salt and pepper to the sauce as well.
– I loved the pieces of onion and will double the amount next time so there’s more to enjoy.
– To serve, I made white rice, sauteed some sliced plantains in butter with a sprinkle of allspice, and mixed up some bagged coleslaw with homemade dressing. Next time I intend to jazz up the rice (maybe with coconut milk?) and make a sweet & spicy condiment to dress up the plantains a bit more.
– You could probably use the leftover liquid from the slow cooker to make a bit of gravy while the chicken is broiling!
I can’t wait to make this again and intend on sharing this meal the next time I’m able to go visit my family!
I want to double this recipe. Can I bakes the chicken a low temperature for 4 hours in a cast iron casserole in the oven or is it best to cook the chicken in the crockpot.
Well, I haven’t tried baking it in the oven, so I can’t really say which would be best or if it would work without having tested it.
I cook this in the oven all the time. Though I do not use a cast iron just a glass casserole dish.
Hi Beth!
I’m wondering if you’ve had any success with cooking this in the Instant Pot instead of the slow cooker? I’m planning on trying that this week.
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work out beautifully.
I have no idea if I left the previous comment (or if it was just someone else with a great name) but this works super well in the Instant Pot–I added a cup of water and set it for 20 minutes.
Do you think I could use date molasses since that’s what I have on hand?
I’ve never cooked with date molasses, so I’m not sure how that would affect the recipe.
I’ve made this 3 times and my husband loves it.
I was paying attention and I blended up the onion with the spice rub. Do you think it will still taste ok?
*wasnt
I made this tonight for supper using drumsticks. I had a mango in the fridge, so I whipped up a fresh mango salsa to go along with the chicken. Super tasty…..will definitely make this again! I also served some white rice with it. Thanks for the great recipe!
Made this for the fam for dinner tonight, it was great! I really liked the idea of broiling the chicken after its stint in the slow cooker, the only downside to cooking chicken in the slow cooker is that it comes out looking kind of anaemic, so that fixed that problem. Since most other jerk chicken recipes call for Scotch bonnet peppers, I put a couple of those (deseeded) in with the marinade instead of jalapeños/serranos. I was worried it would be too spicy, but I probably could have done with another one in there!
Just made this tonight and it was soooooo delicious!! Omg that sauce! I kept sampling the other third of it while the meat was cooking. In fact I had a lot extra and loved it on the side to dip the chicken in. So good and with a well stocked kitchen it was great to make a dinner that only cost me $10!
This recipe is amazing! We sliced up one jalapeno for the slow cooker, and another we blended with the sauce. The perfect amount of spice.
Thanks!
Love your website! Your recipes are user friendly and really tasty! Happy New Year!
So stoked to try this out… But I was curious why blackstrap molasses is not recommended for this recipe, as that is the kind I usually have on hand…!
It’s just much stronger than the type that I used, so it will definitely change the bread. :)
Someone on here complained about bitterness from the orange pith, I believe. What orange did you use (recommend)?
I’m sorry, I’m not sure what type of orange I used. I just grabbed whatever the store had. :( Some people are just more sensitive to bitterness than others, and I know I’m one of the few that are not bothered at all by bitterness. In fact, I tend to enjoy bitter flavors. Sugar can help dampen bitter flavors, so you can try adding a bit of sugar into the marinade (in addition to the molasses).
I love this recipe! I keep making it and I would like to know if there is anything you can do with the left over broth in the crock pot? It seems like such a waste to let it go…
Also, do you have any more “Jamaican/Caribbean” main courses? I love how you break down the recipes so that I can actually make something wonderful.
Thank you and most of all my husband thanks you!!
I don’t have any more Jamaican recipes, but I’d like to make some! My neighbor is from Trinidad and I can’t get enough of his cooking! He makes the best jerk chicken and spicy peas. YUM. You might be able to use the liquid as a broth for soup? Maybe?
I thought I messed this one up because I used pumpkin spice when I couldn’t find my allspice but then found my allspice and added it too. It smelled a little too pumpkin-y so I was worried and I squeezed half a lime over the chicken with the other stuff in the slow cooker. However, it came out absolutely delicious. Definitely another keeper!!
I LOVE this recipe! I love Caribbean food and this recipe was so easy to follow. Can’t beat the slow cooker. The only problem I had was getting the as crispy as I like it. I didn’t want to burn it using the broiler. Other than that it was fantastic!
Hi Beth! I don’t have molasses…could I use agave nectar as a substitute? Or brown/regular sugar?
You definitely need molasses for this one. It has a lot of flavor, so subbing with something else will change the end product a lot. Brown sugar is essentially granulated sugar with molasses added in, but there still wouldn’t be enough to produce the same flavor.
This looks delicious, but I don’t own a slow cooker…would it work out okay to just cook the chicken in the oven?
Hmm, probably! I would still cook it low and slow and cover it so it stays nice and juicy.
Hi Beth I was wondering my chicken I bought a 10 pound pack ” leg quarters ” it was partially frozen I added the whole thing to the oven roaster we are a huge family and I noticed my spices turned into broth at the bottom my chicken barlely has seasoning on it I made two batches of the rub as well and still reserved some for later what should I do? Do you think the flavors will be gone since there’s so much juice in the bottom?
I think the flavor will infuse as it cooks even if it’s on the bottom, plus you’ll be adding more before you broil at the last step. I think it will still be okay. :)
Fun to make. Not our personal favorite, though. We ate it with white rice.
Hi! I want to try and make this but currently work during the day. Would putting the crock pot on low for 8 hours make the chicken too tender?
The chicken is super tender as is (almost fall off the bone soft), so I think it would still work.
Made both the chicken and the rice. My chicken fell completely apart so I was unable to brown, but I pulled the meat and thickened the sauce with corn starch. It was really good! The rice was really good too! I think I like coconut rice better than plain rice! Thanks for the fresh ideas! I have to budget every month and get tired of the same chicken and rice! This is definitely not the same! I’m going to keep exploring!
Makine recipe #2 now….jerk chicken in the crock pot. I used brown sugar instead of molasses because that is what I had on hand. My family thinks they don’t like coconut so if I make the island rice pilaf I’ll have to hide the can! I just don’t think it will be a true jerk experience without coconut rice!! I myself have never had jerk anything or coconut rice…is the rice coconutty or just creamy? I think I’ll try it anyway!
It’s mostly creamy with a hint of coconut, IMHO. :)
I followed the recipe very carefully… Mine turned out bitter and the chicken was bland. what did I do?
The bitterness you’re tasting might be from the pith on the orange (the white part). Some oranges have more pith than others, so perhaps that was the cause. I’m not sure about the blandness, though. That’s a pretty potent mix of spices in that marinade! :P
me too! Apparently it is the slow cooker’s fault. Sometimes if you don’t brown the chicken and marinate it before hand, it will come out bland. As for the bitterness, we took put all pf the pit and still. Fail for us :(
I’ve always wanted to make Jerked Chicken, but I could never find a recipe I was willing to try. I came across this one and I made it last night. It was GREAT! Thank you
Hey! Can I use a sliced lemon instead of the orange, or will that be too tangy and acidic?
A lemon would change the flavor quite a bit. The orange adds a considerable amount of sweetness. You might try a lemon and some honey, but I wouldn’t know where to begin with quantities. It would take some experimentation.
What do you think about doing this recipe with skinless chicken? Only one person in my family will eat chicken with skin on :/
You could, although you will want to skip the broil step at the end because it will likely dry out. Also, the chicken will be SO tender at the end that it may fall apart when retrieving it from the slow cooker, but that’s kind of a good thing :)
This was freakin’ DELICIOUS! Thanks!
Hi Beth,
This just looks so amazing! I love all your slow cooker recipes. I was just wandering what was the deliciousness that you served alongside with it in the pic? & I If you could pretty please post the recipe or link it.
That is the Island Rice Pilaf – a really yummy mix of coconut rice, black beans, herbs, and spices :)
Could I add vegetables to this recipe and make my whole meal in the slow cooker
You could, although they will end up very, very soft… I bet carrots would taste nice, though!
This was a big hit with grandchildren to grandad. The ease of the crockpot makes this a recipe I would make often. I was tapering off on the amount of cooking I needed to do after 36 years of marriage, then two family members, one a child moved in with us. Back to seven days of cooking, dishes and grocery shopping, so the ease and tastiness of this recipe puts it at the top of my list!