Jamaican-Spiced Chicken Thighs Recipe (2024)

Start by making the recipe as written (I leave the seeds in the jalapeno and use 1 teaspoon of cayenne for the red pepper) then add a tablespoon of minced garlic, fresh or jarred, and as much orange juice as the chicken is thick. Marinate in a single layer overnight and turn over in the morning. We use 6 thighs as we both can only eat one per serving then grill it over a charcoal grill with a little mesquite wood. Leftovers make excellent tacos with fresh minced onions, cilantro, lettuce, cheese etc.

Added a few shots of Rum to the saucepan and it really took off.

All three kids loved it; husband loved it. I thought it was really very good too. I served it with coconut rice and lightly sautéed yellow/zucchini squash. Double the marinade.

Always a hit at our house. I marinate for 2 hours at least then grill them on the Traeger for 30 minutes, turning after 10 minutes and 20 minutes. Great with roasted garlic couscous.

Fantastic recipe! Double it because people are going to want more than one serving. I pair it with my coleslaw recipe for a great hot and cold experience.

This was 'okay' but nothing as spectacular as I was expecting. The flavoring was tasty where it cooked onto the surface of the meat, but mostly the meat was fairly bland. My biggest complaint, however, is the nutrition guidelines. The stated serving size shows 2 thighs, but the nutritional values shown for one serving are the equivalent of 1 thigh, not 2. Very misleading for those counting calories & grams!

Very easy and very flavorful. I will be making this often.

I really enjoyed this delicious dish and plan to make it again. I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs and cooked the chicken over a charcoal grill. I served the chicken with Cooking Light's caribbean simple black beans recipe and rice.

I wasn't overly wowed with this one, although it was good.

Loved it. Made with chicken breasts. Kept out some marinade and sautéed with black beans. Then served over chopped cabbage salad with cilantro and fresh pineapple. Got rave reviews from husband, who is watching carbs. Will definitely make again, don't forget to increase amount of marinade.

Excellent. Not a complete jerk spice, but still great flavor. Quick and easy. Always a menu option for group dinners. FYI, double the marinade.

Quick easy dinner that everyone loved!

Love this dish! Quick and easy. Right amount of heat (I love spicy food)!

YUM!!!

This was so delicious. I only wish I had remembered that others doubled the marinade. There was barely enough to coat the thighs. But, in any case, I followed the recipe exactly, marinated them for about 8 hours and everyone loved them. Highly recommend this recipe.

One of my all-time favorite Cooking Light recipes. Leftovers are great on a toasted bun for lunch.

This dish is excellent when paired with smashed sweet potatoes and sautéed red cabbage. I saute the cabbage in the left over marinade and also add some jerk seasoning for a little extra kick. Family loves it and asks for it often.

Amazing! Great great tasting chicken. I didn't have the grill up and running so I sautéed them in a fry pan with a little olive oil. About 4 minutes each side with them covered the last 2. Will make again for sure! Would be perfect for a summer BBQ or a hearty winter meal equally!

I make this all the time because its to so easy and the ingredients are usually in the house. Everyone loves it. I usually let the chicken sit in the marinade over night. The longer the better. I also double the recipe.

Excellent and so easy to prep. I didn't have ground red pepper so I used crushed red pepper instead. Using just 6 chicken thighs, I let them marinate for about 3 hours rpior to grilling on gas grill, and they were tender and delicious with a nice little kick but not too spicy. Served w/grilled asparagus and yams.

We LOVED the flavor and moistness of this chicken!! I would love to try to make a sauce out of the onion and jalapeno next time. Will definitely make again soon.

These were great! I doubled the recipe for my family of 5 and threw the bowl of chicken into a large griddle and let them cook! I love the glaze this makes!! YUMMY! Served with boxed side of mashed sweet potatoes and it was wonderful! Kids loved it too!! Not to spicy but a very unique flavor blend :) Will be adding to my book of Cooking Light keeper recipes :)

This recipe has become a staple recipe in my kitchen over the past couple of years. I always double the seasoning/marinade and let chicken marinate in the fridge overnight if possible, (though definitely not necessary!) and it ALWAYS, ALWAYS gets rave reviews from guests.

Super easy, and my husband and son both gave it a thumbs up -- I don't get many of those from them. We cooked the thighs on the grill instead of using the grill pan, and I served the chicken with roasted sweet potato wedges and a green salad.

This is delicious. My husband doesn't usually comment on recipes cause he says they can't all be great. However, he thought this was great. Very easy to make but I don't know if I would serve chicken thighs to company.

I didn't enjoy this recipe - a first from this website. I'm not sure what it was about it - maybe the thighs (I usually eat breasts) or the spice combo (even though I enjoy most spices). I'm deleting this out of my cookbook and won't be making it again.

I didn't pay close enough attention to the ingredients when making my shopping list and bought whole chicken thighs with bone and skin. Once I realized my mistake I decided to make the recipe as listed but cook it longer. Ended up taking 9 minutes per side but turned out great! Very easy to make and quite tasty. I'll definitely be making it again and would happily serve it to company.

very good! I threw in some sliced red peppers and it was wonderful! I cooked it on the stove and the chicken was very moist. would definitely make again.

I've made this recipe many times and it's great! I double the marinade and use regular vinegar instead of the cider vinegar. I generally don't like my meat too sweet so I use a little less sugar than the recipe calls for. I toss the the marinade and thighs into a plastic bag to marinade for a few hours before I saute or grill. It's a great recipe and I get many compliments!

Taste was sensational, but it took MUCH longer to saute than the recipe suggests...maybe my thighs are thicker than those used by the test kitchen (?). Next time, I will let the chicken pieces marinate in the sauce mixture and will try baking the chicken. Served with asparagus spears and an orange, banana, coconut & pom salad to follow with the "Jamaican" theme; very good.

I just made this and thought it was outstanding. I followed the recipe exactly except I substituted rice vinegar for cider vinegar. I grilled the chicken outside and it came out delicious. I think the trick is making sure you don't overcook it, just four minutes on each side and it was tender and juicy. Definitely will make again!

i think i overcooked the chicken and should have marinated it longer. it wasn't bad, but we won't have it again.

This chicken far exceeded my expectations! As someone else mentioned, grilled chicken dishes tend to all taste the same, but this dish has such unique flavor and is quick and easy. I couldn't find boneless, skinless thighs so I used bone-in and cut off the skin. Cooked them on our Big Green Egg for probably 20 min total at 350-400 degrees. What a wonderful change from grilled chicken breasts!

Really great, totally different from your average chicken dinner. I used white onion instead of red and chicken breasts instead of thighs, but this came out beautifully and was extremely easy considering I had all the ingredients on hand. Served with canned corn and Rice a Roni Chicken & Garlic (yum!), with some raw veggies. Had a nice kick to it but didn't overpower the flavor of the dish. Pour the liquid into the pan and cover while sauteeing to get a very moist piece of meat.

This is my "go to" recipe when having guests and I want something easy and delicious. I always get rave reviews. I do add more vinegar and soy sauce, about double the amount. Love it.

Made this tonight and cooked it out on the grill. I only marinated it for 30 min but 2 hours would be better as it wasn't spicy at all. I added a little oil because I was grilling. Great recipe and I served it with mashed sweet potatoes and fresh green beans.

Cut sugar to 1/2 TB, used more jalapeno, and marinated chicken for about 20 minutes. Cooked on the stove in a cast iron skillet. Wonderful flavor, easy to do. Served with mashed sweet potatoes, as suggested, and steamed chard. Really good. Don't skip the allspice--it's crucial.

this is a good recipe, easy and healthy. used a whole jalapeno so it had more kick to it, which I prefer. used about a teaspoon of sugar to make it more spicy, less sweet.

Just now realized that I forgot the vinegar...and we didn't miss it a bit. This is a great recipe for a fast dinner. Highly recommended by everyone in the family. East, quick, and very flavorful. I served it with CL mashed potato cakes and CL asparagus with goat cheese, pepper and bacon dressing. Very yummy dinner!